Guidance
by castielsbee
Summary: When Jack meets a forest spirit, Eve Dawn, he vows to do anything to protect her. Eve is in terrible danger, and she will need the help of the Guardians to save her from her haunting past, and from Pitch Black. Will Jack be able to protect Eve from Pitch's control? Or will she join the dark side? JackxOC. Rated T because i'm paranoid.
1. Waking Up

**Hello everybody! This is my first ever fanfiction of like… anything. So I'm a bit new at this. I do write quite a lot, but they're my own stories. I really do hope you enjoy this fanfiction, because I quite like the idea, myself n_n Please critique it in the reviews, because I really do enjoy feedback and I am constantly trying to find ways to improve my writing, since I do hope to one day become an author.**

** Yeshh so I shall stop interrupting :D byee**

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The only thing her senses could detect was a dull numbness. It was a numbness that consumed her being, and frightened her ever so terribly.

Where was she? Who was she? Why was everything so _dark_? Suddenly, a rush of ice cold air consumed the girl's being, and she involuntarily parted her lips to allow the chilled breeze to fill her seemingly empty lungs. Her eyes shot open, but there was not much of a difference in her vision, for everything around her was bathed in a sheet of night. The only source of light provided for her was from the prodigious moon that hung high above her in the night sky.

The moon seemed to bring a rush of life into the girl's body, for she weakly sat up. The snow molded around her as she sat, its cold enveloping her being. Craning her neck around, she feebly observed her surroundings as her eyes adjusted to the nightfall. It seemed that she was in a forest of some sort. Tall pine trees encircled the clearing that she laid in, their sturdy branches seemed to brush the night sky.

_You have been chosen_, a voice ringed in her head.

The girl jumped up, standing on her feet now, eyes wide as she looked around her for the source of the voice.

"H-hello?" She called, her voice light and young. _So that is what I sound like, _the girl thought to herself, finding it odd that she couldn't even recall the sound of her own voice. Nobody responded to her call. "Who's there?" She asked, searching around her frantically.

But there was no one. She was completely alone. Strangely, the girl found herself gazing back up at the moon. It shone brightly, almost beckoning her to it.

_Welcome, Eve Dawn. _

It was the moon. The moon was speaking to her. A chill traveled through her spine when Eve realized the voice did not sound male or female. It just appeared as ghostly words within her mind.

Eve… was that her name?

So many questions buzzed though her head, and the abundance of these unanswered inquiries caused Eve to panic. A village. She must find a village. She must find civilization. Quickly, Eve ran out of the forest in a sprint, eager to leave behind the spooky clearing, desperate to find some form of human life.

The snow crunched underneath her bare feet, but surprisingly did not numb or cut them. Eve ignored this realization, and continued to run. Lights shone through the forest- warm, welcoming lights that promised her a village. Eve pushed her body on, convincing her aching muscles and bones to move forward. When she finally burst into the village streets, she gazed with relief at the people around her. However, none of them cast her a glance. Feeling scared and very alone, Eve jogged up to a mother walking with her young son's hand in her own.

"Excuse me?" Eve called to the mother as she neared her. The lady did not even show any sign of hearing her call. Eve brought herself close to the lady's side. "Madam?" She persisted. "Could you please tell me where I-"

Eve tried to grab hold of the woman's arm, but her hand slipped through the mother. Gasping with shock, Eve pulls back sharply, only to have a man walk right through her, causing her to scream out of surprise and fall backwards into the icy snow as she tripped.

It was then that she noticed her attire. Eve was wearing a lacy, silky white dress that stopped just an inch or two above her ankles. The bottom of the dress was tattered and torn at, yet otherwise seemed unharmed. The sleeves of her dress were a see-through lace that ended slightly past her elbows. Eve softly gasped as she noticed how deathly pale she seemed to be. She looked down, and confirmed that her feet were indeed bare, as she had mentally noted before. Her ankles were wrapped in a criss-cross pattern of tattered white silk that ended at her calves. With observation, Eve realized this cloth was the ripped off silk from the end of her dress. Taking a deep breath, Eve untied the cloth from her feet. She expected to see some kind of wound or scratch, for the cloth was bound thickly to her feet, as if to protect them. But when she removed the dress fabric, her feet seemed perfectly unharmed. Shocked, Eve tossed aside the cloth.

The pendant was what she last noticed. The chain was a silver color, silky, and flat. It held a jewel that fell right into the hollow of her neck. The jewel was surrounded by silver that molded perfectly to the shape of the emerald jewel. The pendant glowed lightly, seeming to possess some sort of power.

Quickly, her heart beating fast, Eve got up on her feet, and ran to a window on a nearby tavern, careful not to touch anybody on the way there. She gasped at her reflection. Her eyes were an abnormally light blue, and seemed to shine with haunting magic. Short, dark hair fell around her face in a choppy mess of waves, reaching down to just brush against the bottom of her jaw. She looked almost inhuman- her face glowing with the white light of a spirit.

Eve wanted to scream out for help, but her throat was shut tight with fear. She turned around and ran to the people walking about and suddenly gained the courage to beg to them. "Please!" She pleaded. "Somebody- anybody- help me! What's happening?" But nobody heard her. They just passed through her body- as if she were nonexistent.

Terrified and confused, Eve ran away- back into the haven of the dense forest. Once she stumbled upon the clearing where she had wakened, she finally stopped running, and sat upon a hollow log, trying to clear her mind as she harshly forced back the tears that yearned to be shed. "I need to make sense of things," Eve spoke to herself (little did she know she'd be doing that very often).

Eve observed her bare feet as she thought things through. Who was she? Eve couldn't help but wonder. Why did she have such inhuman features and capabilities? Was this all some sort of strange dream? Eve looked up at the moon, her eyes beginning to water. "Please…" she began. "I don't know who I am. I don't know why I'm here. I need an answer… nobody in that village could hear me. Why? Why can't I touch them? Why can't they see me?"

But the moon did not respond. It chose to ignore her just like the people in the village as it shone its brilliant light, seeming to mock her. Eve was completely alone… so completely alone.

Angry now, Eve stood up, glaring at the moon. "You told me my name! You told me I've been chosen! And now I'm asking you for some help and you won't even bother to tell me why I am here! How am I supposed to know what to do?" She screamed. Eve fell onto her knees, tears overcoming her, now. She let them out, trying to get rid of the chaos and confusion through her tears. Why was this happening? When would she wake up and remember who she was?_What was her purpose?_

A warm current of wind brushed around her almost comfortingly. It was the only comfort she received that night as she sat alone in the snow- cold, tired, sad and confused. Eve hugged herself, wrapping her arms around her as she doubled over, letting out harsh sobs. Why was she so alone?

She didn't know how long she cried, but eventually Eve stood back up, trying to compose herself. _I'll never get any answers if I sit around here forever, _she concluded. Wiping the last of her tears, Eve took a deep breath, and gave another longing look at the moon.

Suddenly, Eve could feel the wind pick up. It was warm and alive, nothing like the cold of the forest that surrounded her. Eve tilted her head back, inhaling the air as she smiled sadly. The wind could be her friend... the wind had hugged her as she cried... it would protect her. She felt as if she could fly with the her new friend... as if she could become wind, herself.

And fly she did.

The wind picked her up, and at first Eve screamed with fear when she felt her feet leave the ground. Then she noticed that it felt as though a solid force was holding her up in the sky- a force she could control with her mind. Tension and fear left Eve's body as she turned right and left, gliding over the forest as she laughed merrily. She was flying! She was actually _flying_!

She soared through the sky, flying so high that she felt she could touch the moon's home. She reached her hands up high, grabbing for stars as she laughed and twirled. It all came so natural to her. Flying came easier than walking. The movement was so carefree and natural. A big smile plastered onto her face, Eve soared above the forest, gazing down at the dark sea of trees just beneath her, highlighted by the light of the moon and the white of the snow.

Carefully, Eve steered herself to a tall, bare branched tree. She landed herself on its strong branches to catch her breath, adrenaline coursing through her from the excitement and exhilaration of her flight. Laughing to herself, Eve leaned against the trunk of the tree, and grasped onto a branch to steady herself. Suddenly, the twigs upon the branches that she touched began to sprout green leaves, and then red flowers. Eve's eyes went wide, and she pulled her hand back, pressing it to her fast-beating heart.

"What…?" She whispered, astonished.

Overcome with curiosity, Eve touched another branch, and then another. They both began sprouting leaves- hundreds of leaves. The whole entire tree seemed to begin to come to life, sprouting leaves and pink and red flowers. Eve smiled, looking around her in awe. She had brought a tree to life! She could bring trees to life just with her touch!

Eve's amulet glowed, and she noted that she felt slightly wary. Nevertheless, she touched a pink flower bud, and it bloomed automatically, opening up its petals to gloriously display itself to its mother. A giant smile found its way to Eve's face as she gazed at her hands with awe. She had the power to bring this tree to life... she could bring life in this terribly wintry forest. She could bring some form of happiness.

Laughing with joy, Eve jumped off the tree, and flew with the strong, warm wind. _I think I've found my purpose._

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**Tah- dah! That's the first chapter n_n I know it was a wee bit boring and kinda uninteresting, but I just had to get the setting straight. Jack shall appear within the next chapter! :D Then things shall begin to pick up n_n yayyyy**

**I plan on putting up the second chapter either tonight or tomorrow, but we'll see! Until next time, please review! :D **


	2. Meeting Jack Frost

**Here's the second chapter! You guys will be seeing some of Jack, now n_n**

**Enjoy!**

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-300 years later-

The girl in the red cloak hummed to herself as she walked about the large forest that surrounded and mostly enveloped the small suburban town of Burgess. It was wintertime, and Christmas was slowly nearing. Christmas spirit filled the air with its exciting energy. Trees were bare- their branches covered in snow- and the ground blanketed with at least a foot of the white winter miracle. The red-cloaked girl seemed at home in the dense forest, for she made her way around confidently, if not a little bit comfortably, as if the forest were her home. She lazily brushed her fingertips against the trees that she walked past, turning their bark from gray to a strong, healthy brown, and summoning bright green leaves from the bare stems of the thick, proud branches.

It was an odd sight, indeed. There was quite a large amount of spring-looking trees scattered about the wintry forest in no particular order. Some of these leaves even sprouted flowers! The strangest part… was that the trees came back to life at the touch of the mysterious girl.

The girl was pale as the snow she walked upon, her short, raven black hair framing her young-looking face. But her eyes… her light blue eyes seemed to be hundreds of years old. She was quite an odd looking sight indeed, this girl. It seemed as if she had stepped out of a children's fairy tale book. Her white dress hung upon her as if it were made especially for her. Her red cloak's hood was drawn up, covering her hair from the snowfall, and the back of the cloak billowed behind her as she walked, slightly brushing against the ground. Her emerald amulet slightly glowed with mysterious power as it rested upon the hollow of her neck. But the oddest thing about this girl had to be her bare feet. Indeed, her feet were bare upon the snow- not showing even the slightest sign of any sort of discomfort. She was truly an odd specimen, but somehow enchanting at the same time.

The raven-haired girl stopped in her tracks, and drew her fingertips away from the trees as she spotted an injured bird upon the snowy ground, small droplets of red staining the slushy ice beneath it. The girl dropped to her knees in front of the bird, her humming turning into an ancient song as she gently picked up the small flying creature. She softly shushed the tweeting creature, running a finger along its feathery back as she paused her singing to speak calmly to it. "It's alright, it's alright. Do not fret, my friend. You shall be alright," She whispered to the creature, her voice alluring and tranquil.

The brown bird quieted as the girl picked up on her singing, her voice rising as she observed the bird's injured wing. It seemed as if the animal had cut his inner right wing upon something, for there was a huge gash, and plenty of feathers were missing. The red-cloaked girl placed her fingertips upon the wound, the bird's blood smearing upon her fingers. She closed her eyes, and sang her ancient song, allowing her magic to do the rest. The amulet upon the girl's neck shone brightly, and her fingertips began to glow a light green. Within seconds, the bird's wound was gone and the girl withdrew her fingers from the now-missing cut. Feathers had replaced the bird's injury, and it almost seemed as if there was never anything wrong with him to begin with. The bird chirped happily, and it flew from her hand, and up to her face, seeming to rub its beak against her nose as a thank-you.

The girl smiled and laughed as she spoke, "It is no problem, my friend. Now go! Your family awaits you."

With one last chirp, the bird flew off, leaving the girl all alone, just as she has been for hundreds of years. The girl resisted the urge to sigh. _I am never alone_, she constantly reminded herself. _I've got my forest friends… and the trees and plants… I am not alone._

But still, the girl could not help but yearn for friendship- a human friend that would respond with words when she spoke to them. The girl almost laughed at her ridiculous dream, at times. She knew she would be forever doomed with loneliness. That's how it always had been, for the past three hundred years. _And that's how it always will be_, she reminded herself.

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"I've got you now, Jack!" A brown-haired boy named Jamie yelled among a burst of giggles. He and his friends threw snowballs at their friend, pelting what seemed to be ten balls of slushy ice at the poor child named Jack.

But Jack was not a child. He was a winter spirit, and a Guardian of Fun. He was the one and only, Jack Frost.

Jack chuckled as he dodged the snowballs with inhuman agility, and then straightened up with a bright smile, his ice blue eyes playful. He gripped his shepherd's staff tight in his left hand as he lifted up his right hand, palm up. "Oh have you now?" He questioned the boy as he smirked, a snowball forming within his palm. The children screamed playfully as they hid behind their snow fort, but Jamie was not quite fast enough, and Jack's snowball pelted into the back of the retreating boy's puffy jacket. Jack let out a whoop of triumph, and hovered above the snow-covered ground as he did a flip in the air.

"Dangit, Jack!" Jamie protested, brushing snow off his jacket, but a cheerful smile still playing upon his lips, deep brown eyes gazing admiringly at his friend.

Jack laughed playfully, still floating in the air casually, but starting to float back to the ground. "Sorry Jaime, you gotta be quicker than that!" He called to his best friend- and first believer. Jack stood upon the ground, and rose up his head cockily. Jamie pouted, his freckled nose wrinkled as he looked at his friend.

But that was when Jack heard it... a song. It barely made its way to his ears, but he could faintly pick up on it. Somebody was singing… Jack glanced at the forest, distracted. The music was coming from there. His pepper and salt eyebrows furrowed with confusion, and he surveyed the forest, listening with his incredibly sharp hearing. It sounded like a girl singing. He had never heard the voice, before, and it entranced him. Jack gripped on tighter to his staff, instinctively. _Who could that be?_ He wondered.

That was when an icy snowball pelted the back of his head, knocking him forward partially as he stumbled to regain his balance. Mouth dropped, Jack turned back to gaze in disbelief at his friend. Jamie wore a smug smirk, his hands behind his back as he widened his eyes innocently among his winter friend's stare. Jack let out an astonished laugh, still shocked. "Did you just-"

"You gotta be quicker than that, Jack!" Jamie taunted him, pelting another snowball that Jack luckily dodged this time.

Jack laughed and rested his cane comfortably upon his shoulder. He wanted to depart and find out where the mysterious singing was coming from. "Hey- I'll see you guys later. There's something I gotta do," Jack informed them all. The children groaned in protest, and Jack laughed. "Don't worry everybody," he told them with a smile as he began to float in the air, ready to take leave. "I'll be back tomorrow!"

The kids all gathered around Jamie, waving up to the winter spirit. "Bye, Jack!" They called.

With a smile and a wave, Jack sped off towards the forest, eager to quench his intense curiosity. He flew above the forest, noticing with confusion the scattered green, flowery trees. "What the..?" He whispered to himself, eyebrows furrowed. He continued to search the forest, scanning the grounds from above until he spotted a flash of red. Jack silently lowered himself to the trees, and perched upon a branch to get a closer look at the red object. It was a cloak, clothed upon a strange-looking girl. Jack looked closer, observing the young lady.

She appeared to be singing to herself, walking past the trees gracefully. Jack took this close-up opportunity to take in her features. He had never seen her before- that he was sure of. He would have definitely remembered her. She appeared to be seventeen or eighteen, around Jack's age. The girl had short black hair, and skin almost as pale as the winter spirit, himself. Her eyes were a light blue, and her nose was sprinkled with light freckles. She wore a strange white dress that flowed about her just like her cloak. Her hood was drawn up, the red a huge contrast against her pale features. Jack felt his heart speed up- probably from curiosity and excitement at seeing a new face, he supposed.

That was when Jack noticed the girl was barefoot, just like him. His eyebrows rose slightly, and he let out a quiet laugh, his lips curving into an amused smile. That's odd. Normally humans do not walk around without shoes… especially not in this snow. Jack was about to get down from his hiding spot to get a closer look at the girl, when something caught his eye. The girl's amulet- it was green and shone with a soft light. Jack's eyebrows furrowed yet again, his curiosity heightening.

Just as Jack decided to go up to the girl, he froze. A wolf appeared from the trees, approaching the girl with a menacing growl. The girl stopped in her tracks, facing the wolf. She did not appear afraid, but instead began to hesitantly approach the beast. It snarled and let out a threatening bark. The raven-haired girl appeared to softly speak to the dog, but Jack was too distracted by the vicious creature to catch what the girl was saying.

"Hey!" Jack yelled as he jumped off the tree and flew to the girl. "Back off! Run, now!" He instructed her, hoping she could see him as he landed in front of her, putting himself between the strange girl and the predator. Jack held up his wooden staff, the cane beginning to glow with power as a cloud of frost rose from the sturdy wood.

The girl did not run, though, and for a second Jack felt the disappointment at the idea that she wouldn't be able to see him. He quickly turned back his head, looking at the girl incredulously. Her eyes met his, and his previous assumption was quickly thrown away. She could definitely see him. "What are you doing?" He asked her, urgently. "Run! _Now_!" He ordered her. If she could see him, she must have heard his order. But the girl did not move, she only continued to stare at him with wide-eyes, disbelief playing clearly upon her features. Jack turned back to face the wolf, realizing that he had no time to argue with the girl as the animal barked again, beginning to advance on Jack. A serious look enveloped Jack's face as he held his prized staff forward, prepared to freeze the dog.

That was when the girl finally spoke. "What do you think you're doing?" She screeched, her face wild with fear. Before she could stop herself, she summoned a strong wind that pushed back the surprised white-haired teen, knocking him into a tree. The winter spirit passed out, slumped against the thick trunk of the pine tree, his magic staff at his feet. The girl placed her hand over her mouth, surprised at what she had done. She faced the injured wolf, again. She had to heal the creature so she could tend to the boy, but the predator was restless, now, the fur upon his back spiked with anger, his growling rising.

The girl tried hushing the dog, and began singing softly as she advanced slowly to it, holding out a pale hand in a friendly gesture. "It's okay, little pup. Do not worry. I want to help," She explained, her voice slightly high with fear for the boy that laid passed out beside her. "I only want to help," She repeated as she tried to clarify her intentions. Slowly, the girl came within a foot of the uneasy creature.

The wolf stopped growling, but still held a defensive position as the girl placed a hand upon its snout, singing softly. The dog calmed, and allowed the girl to heal its broken front paw, only growling from time to time to remind the girl who the dominant creature was.

When the wolf was finally healed, it hesitantly nuzzled against the girl, giving her a thankful lick upon her hand. "You're welcome," she whispered. "I must attend to this boy, here," she spoke, gesturing to the white-haired boy that had tried to save her. "He means you no harm, I promise," she explained to the wolf. The creature glared at the boy uncertainly, but seemed to nod as it straightened up, and began to walk away after giving the girl one last loving wet kiss upon her cheek. The girl smiled as the wolf disappeared within the forest, and quickly rushed over to the boy, dropping onto her knees at his side.

"I am so sorry," she whispered, placing a hand upon the boy's forehead. He was freezing, his body temperature below normal. The teen stirred slightly at the red-cloaked girl's touch, and murmured incoherently. He was still very much passed out. The girl then observed the strange boy's features, taking him in.

His hair was white as a cloud, with hints of gray highlighting his messy locks that seemed to stick up everywhere, yet still looked soft as freshly fallen snow. His skin was paler than the girl's, and he wore a blue hoodie that hung upon his slender frame loosely, and at first glance seemed to have a white snow pattern upon the top, until she observed more closely and realized the pattern was indeed an intricate design of actual frost. Her eyebrows furrowed, the girl noticed the boy's brown pants that seemed centuries old style-wise, and his bare feet. Just like her. Hesitantly, the girl withdrew her hand from the boy's forehead, and leaned in close to observe the teen's face. His facial features were fair and delicate- yet still held a strong look to them. He was strangely cute, in a boyish way, and he seemed to be slightly older than her.

Then the girl noticed the shepherd's staff that lay upon the boy's feet. It seemed like an ordinary staff, now that it was not within the teen's grip, but she knew it contained some sort of power, for she saw it glow merely minutes ago when the boy stood in front of her, trying to protect her.

Hesitantly, the girl reached out to the wooden staff, and picked it up, finding it to be surprisingly light in weight. The staff did not glow in her hands, but she observed it, feeling entranced anyways. The wood seemed to spiral, giving the cane an abstractly beautiful composition. Feeling like she was intruding in the boy's belongings, she stopped her prying, and placed the staff down by her side. She looked back at the teen, and she knew that this was no ordinary human by her side.

_He had seen her. _

Pushing her questions aside, the girl decided that she must bring the teen to shelter before he died from the harsh cold. She picked up the surprisingly weightless boy, along with his staff, and flew him to safety.

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**Yayyyyy end of chapter two :D I like this one a whole lot more than the first one. Now things are starting to pick up n_n **

**Sorry if those of you who are following this story got an email notification about a new chapter before I even posted this up! I'm still learning how to work my profile, and might've accidently gotten that email sent out before I even finished this chapter D: sorry, I'm still a newbie. **

**I'm gonna try and post up chapter three within a day at least, seeing as I have no life, and a lot of homework I don't wanna work on n_n yayyyy**

**Thankyou for reading, and please review! :D Critiques and even encouraging reviews will be much appreciated**

**Until next time! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Ahhhh thankyou so much for the people that reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far n_n it really does encourage me to continue on again, so I thankyou heaps :D It means a lot more than you know. **

**So since you've all been giving such great feedback with so little chapters, I'm gonna get chapter three up even though I have huge projects I gotta work on c: yayyy chapter three here we gooooo**

The black-haired girl set the strange boy down on a bed within her cottage. Gently, she adjusted the pillow underneath him and drew up the blanket as far as she could to keep him warm. My, how freezing he was! Taking care of the ancient staff that the boy had held before, the girl places it onto her bookshelf. Then, making sure the staff was placed carefully upon the shelf, the red-cloaked girl pulls up a chair by the boy's bed, and sits down by him. After a few minutes of gazing at him, she presses a hand to his forehead to feel his temperature.

He was still below normal body temperature, and she was beginning to worry. "Oh, this is all my fault," she whispered to herself, her eyebrows furrowed as guilt buried itself into her stomach. "He was only trying to help…" she whispered, continuing to beat her up.

The girl suddenly got up, and started a fire in the fireplace of her cozy home; she was intent on making sure her strange guest would recover. Quickly, she began gathering certain vegetables from her cupboard, and chopped them up as she started up a hearty stew for her guest and herself. When she was finished making the meal, she set the small, wooden dining table with bowls and spoons, and then seated herself by her guest once more. He was still out cold, his facial expression that of pure relaxation, despite his state. The white-haired boy… only an hour ago she had come to meet him, yet he has already grabbed her interest. He was willing to protect her- a girl he's never met before- from a menacing (yet injured and frightened) wolf. The teen truly was brave, she concluded.

But there was something more…. Something that she could not stop thinking about since the boy laid eyes on her… what interested her most was something that made her heart race every time she ever thought about it. _He had seen her. _This strange boy had _seen _her. He made eye contact with her, told her to run to safety. He talked to her! It had to be the most exciting thing to have ever happened in the girl's life. She was almost giddy with her overflowing curiosity and need to speak to the boy, again. Shaking in her seat with anticipation, the girl dreamed how their conversation would go. Although… within her first brief encounter of actually speaking with another person, the girl had managed to knock him out cold. _Perhaps I shouldn't make friends after all, _the girl joked with herself. _I seem to prefer an animal's well-being over a fellow hu-… is human the right word? _

No matter. The girl was just anxious for her guest to wake up and come to so she could begin to interrogate him. She had so many questions. _I will need to calm myself. His health comes first, and then the questions… unless he starts asking questions first, of course. Then I am free to ask some, myself, right? _The girl sighed. She has never had a conversation with another person, before, and longed to experience what it must be like to talk and have somebody _actually reply. _

Impatient with her sleepy guest, the girl pouted, scrunching her nose with her waning patience. She leaned forward toward the boy, merely an inch from his face, and stared at him observantly. Slowly, the girl lifted up a hand, and poked the boy's cheek, hoping to see him stir or give some sort of sign of consciousness. He merely furrowed his eyebrows, and then continued back to his peaceful features. Sighing again, the girl dropped her face onto the boy's chest in frustration. "Please. Please just wake up," she mumbled, her words muffled from her face being pressed onto the sleeping boy's chest.

Suddenly, the raven-haired girl lifted up her head sharply, an idea coming to mind. Her healing powers… she has never before tried them on a person, but they seemed to work fair enough on her animal friends. Perhaps… perhaps it would wake up the boy. Heal him, in fact. It was worth a shot. Straightening in her seat, the girl cleared her throat and took a deep breath as she placed her left hand upon the boy's forehead, pushing his messy white locks off his forehead, and then placed her right hand on top of his steadily beating heart.

_Concentrate, _she told herself.

Closing her eyes, the girl began to sing. She sang an ancient song- a healing song that she woke up with embedded in her head on her first night of existence. It was a calming, soothing song that she never grew tired of singing. She sang the lyrics slowly and strongly, opening her eyes to gaze at the boy. To her delight, her hands were compromising with her song as they began to glow that familiar light green. The boy's breathing began to steady, his chest rising and falling with greater health and confidence. The girl tried to keep her smile down as she sang on.

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Singing was the first thing he heard when consciousness came. The next feeling was that of a sharp pain on the back of his head- a pain that slowly began to wither away until it was nonexistent, almost as if it were never there to begin with. The singing… the beautiful, alluring singing was what helped him to come back to Earth- it was what encouraged him to wake.

His eyes fluttered open, and when his vision began to clear the singing abruptly stopped, hands removed from his chest and forehead, and a figure suddenly loomed near him, observing him closely. Jack furrowed his eyebrows, blinking a few times to focus his vision before he saw a pair of wide-eyed blue eyes merely an inch from his face. Startled, Jack inhaled a sharp breath and sat up quickly, pulling away, nearly bumping heads with the person staring at him. He blinked a few more times as he realized who had been watching him. It was the girl from the forest. She continued to gaze at him, her lips slightly parted as if she had something she wanted to say, but didn't know how to say it. Her eyes were wide, watching him carefully. Jack felt his cheeks warm at the intense attention he was receiving, and found his voice as he asked, "Who are you? You're that girl from the forest. Wha- can you see me?" Jack suddenly asked as he drew closer to the girl, looking into her eyes with the same curiosity as she had towards him.

This time, it was the girl who drew back. "Are… are you talking to me?" She asked, almost as if she were preparing herself for being ignored and unanswered.

Jack raised an eyebrow as he leaned back, giving her some room. He sat himself up straight, crossing his legs. "Of course," he answered her. The look of disbelief and gratefulness on her face sent a strange tingling sensation through his chest and up to his throat. He smirked playfully, "Who else would I be talking to?"

The girl blinked, her eyes beginning to water. The next thing Jack knew, tears were streaming down the frozen features etched upon the girl's face. Jack's eyes widened, "Are you alright?" He asked as he leaned forward again, reaching a hand out to her-

"I'm fine," she whispered breathlessly. She blinked a couple of times, and let out a breathy laugh. "You… you're the first one to have seen me… in a very long time," she added softly, almost cringing as she waited for Jack's reaction.

Jack laughed, his face brightening as he stared at the girl. She looked at him, confused. Jack smiled, and straightened up as he replied, "Then I'm very lucky, aren't I?" His ice blue eyes twinkled with mischief as his smile turned into a friendly smirk.

The girl smiled for the first time, a gesture that made Jack have to blink twice. "What is your name?" She asked softly, almost as if she felt she was not allowed to ask such a question.

At this, Jack smirked. He swung off the bed, and stood before the startled girl. She turned to observe him as she sat in her seat, clutching onto the chair. Jack smiled big, and did an overdramatic bow. "Jack Frost is my name, m'lady." He gazed up at her from his bowed position as he playfully smirked. "And who may you be?" He asked as he straightened up, looking into the strange girl's eyes.

She smiled big now, looking at her odd guest with amusement. She stood up, and curtsied (as she had seen many human girls do before when she would observe the townsfolk), "Eve. Eve Dawn."

**I think I'm gonna cut it off here, because I've still got homework and stuff, and I don't wanna rush any chapters. Better to have a good story than a long one that isn't very interesting. Quality over quantity.n_n but I promise my next chapter is going to be the longest one, yet! I shall probably upload it Friday afternoon, but until then please review! I really hope this chapter didn't seem off with Jack and stuff. I didn't really have enough time to give him a lot of dialogue and stuff, so I just hope he doesn't seem off-character.**

**But yesh, I shall stop talking now. Thankyou for the support! It means the world!**

**Byeeee**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow ahhh thankyou guys for the reviews and positive feedback! n_n I originally wasn't going to post a chapter today but I wrote this during school so I figured I might as well put it up for you all :D thankyou so much for the support I appreciate it n_n**

"Eve. Eve Dawn."

Jack smiled unconsciously. "That's a beautiful name," he said without thinking.

Eve blushed, looking down to hide her face as she mumbled, "Thank-you."

Blinking, Jack recomposed himself into his confident posture. Clearing his throat, he spots his staff and walks over to Eve's bookshelf to retrieve it. "Uhm," Jack begins, turning back to face the girl, "Thanks for… uh, grabbing this." He twirls the staff instinctively before he rests it comfortably on his shoulder.

Eve nods and they both remain silent, hundreds of questions buzzing through their heads, but neither had any idea where to begin. Just as Jack opens his mouth to speak, Eve interrupts.

"How are you feeling?" She asks, as she suddenly walks over to him.

Jack raises his eyebrows as his hand flies to the back of his head. "I'm fine, actually. Completely uninjured," he tells her, smiling.

Unconvinced, Eve reaches out to put a hand on his forehead, and then pulls back sharply with a hiss. "You're even colder than before!" She informs him, worry prominent in her voice.

To her complete surprise, Jack bursts out laughing. Eve raises her eyebrows as she watches the white-haired boy laugh at her. Growing red with embarrassment, she pouts. "What are you laughing at?" She asks her guest as she crosses her arms.

Once he calms his laughter, Jack gives her a brilliant smile and explains. "I'm a winter spirit. I'm always cold, but I don't feel it- hence my lack of shoes," he adds with a smirk as he gestures to his feet with his free hand. "The cold just doesn't bother me," he tells the girl, giving her a shrug. Then he smiles playfully at her as he asks, "Haven't you ever heard of Jack Frost, before? Y'know, the guy in the songs and fairy tales?" When she gives no sign of understanding, Jack raises an eyebrow, another smirk playing on his features. "Never?" He asks, as if he can't believe her. When she merely shrugs, Jack pouts as well. Then he puffs out his chest cockily. "It's a classic, though! Chestnuts roasting on an open fire," he continues, prodding on the blank-faced girl. She gives a small smile at his exaggerated theatrical singing, but doesn't budge. Jack smiles big as he continues. "Jack Frost nipping at your nose," he sings as he lifts his hand, creating a couple of snowflakes right in front of her, making a cold breeze rush through the house.

At this, Eve's eyebrows rise and her jaw drops with awe. "How did you…?" She breathed, astonished.

Jack smirked, happy with her sudden interest in his powers. He lifts his staff and twirls it again. "This staff holds all my powers," he explains as he begins to stroll around the room, swinging his shepherd's staff mindlessly. "I can create snow, blizzards, ice, you name it. If it's cold, I can make it happen," he proudly states with a smirk as he makes his way back to her, stopping in front of her and touching his staff to the ground as he leans on it comfortably.

Eve smiled. "That's amazing!" She exclaimed, bouncing with excitement.

Jack smiled big, her reaction satisfying him. "Yeah, it is," he says, almost to himself.

They were quiet again, both standing and observing one another. Eve found herself to be fascinated with Jack. He was so _interesting_. He's the only person she's met who has powers, too. The silence continued on, and Eve panicked. Was he going to leave? She didn't want him to go, yet. She had to act before he excused himself from her home. The thought of being all alone again sent a sharp pain through her heart, and made her stomach churn. Suddenly, just as Jack was about to speak, she interrupted him, again.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" She asks him quickly. She glances over at the stew she had prepared earlier. "I made some stew. There's plenty if you'd like some," she says, calmer this time. But her heart raced in her chest as she waited for his answer.

Jack smiled, noticing that two bowls were already set at the table. He straightens up, and rests his staff on his shoulder, again. "Sure. Sounds great," he replied.

Eve brightened up immensely, a wide grin playing on her face. She's never had somebody over, before. The feeling was odd. Did she have to entertain him? How do you carry out a conversation while eating? Or should you not talk while you eat? Eve had no trouble talking with animals but talking to humans was ever so strange.

Still smiling, Eve removed her red cloak and laid it down on the headstand of the bed Jack had been sleeping on. "Alright, then! You can go ahead and sit down at the table while I grab the stew, if you'd like," Eve said uncertainly. When one has a guest they should be the one to do the serving while the guest relaxes, right?

To her relief, Jack smiled and sat at the small dining table. It was an odd sight, the tall white-haired teen sitting at her short table. Eve was about five feet and three inches tall. Incredibly short, she noticed grumpily every day. But Jack was plenty of heads taller than her. She wondered for a moment what his height was before she quickly dropped the thought from her head, embarrassed for observing him so closely.

Eve went to fetch the pot of stew that she had cooked, and brought it over to the dining table. She poured some of the vegetable stew in the two bowls, and filled up two cups with water. She placed the cups at the table before taking her own seat. She stared at her guest, and then looked down to stop herself. _Staring is rude, and you've been doing it quite often to this poor stranger_, she scolded herself. Eve picks up her spoon and starts to eat. She hears Jack eat as well.

After a couple of minutes it is quiet, the sound of silverware clanking suddenly cut off. When Eve dares to take a glance up at her guest, she notices that he is staring at her with curiosity, his head propped up on his hand as he observed her.

Eve blinked, feeling self-conscious under the boy's gaze. "What-"

"How did you do it?" Jack asked suddenly, cutting her off.

Eve furrowed her eyebrows, confused. "Do what?" She asked softly, not quite understanding what he was asking.

"The wolf," Jack replied. "You didn't want me to help you," he continued as he filled his spoon with the vegetable stew. He ate the spoonful and when Eve didn't reply, and he swallowed his food, and then went on. "You seemed pretty upset when I was about to freeze it. Even though it was trying to attack you-"

"He was injured," Eve spoke up, then blushed self-consciously and looked down when Jack stopped talking. Was that rude? She probably shouldn't interrupt him so much. But when she looked up at Jack again, she noticed that he really did not mind, and was in fact leaning in closer, his eyes on her, listening intently to what she had to say. Eve relaxed, and took a deep breath before looking back down and continuing. "The wolf had broken its paw. I- well… I have this ability to heal animals. I was trying to help it," she said those last words quietly, looking back up at her guest, preparing to see a horrified look upon his face. But Jack was smiling- seeming excited.

"How do you heal them?" Jack asked, with all the curiosity of a child.

Eve felt her confidence rise at his positive reaction, so she began to explain, feeling her heart race with excitement at being able to explain her powers to somebody for the first time ever. "I just have to place my hand on the injured part of the animal, and then sing to it. I'm not quite sure why, but the singing is what heals them. It's this ancient song- I don't even know where I learned it from- but when I sing it… my necklace," she held her necklace out for Jack to see. He smiled and she continued, "it… it has this magic in it. It's the source of my power, and gives me the ability to heal, along with a couple of other things. It helps me talk to animals, bring plants to life, and even fly." Eve took a deep breath, trying to calm her excitement.

Jack smirked, and said, "So you're the one that unfrosted my trees!" He laughed at Eve's expression.

Eve smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I did. I didn't really think about it. Sorry," she apologized.

Jack laughed again. "It's alright." Then he suddenly grew curious, his smile falling from his face. Eve panicked, her smile disappearing as well. Did she scare him off? Did she say too much? But his next question almost made her sigh with relief. "How did you get your powers?" Jack asked, staring at Eve intently, his face masked with a now serious expression.

Eve merely shrugged. "I have no idea," she admitted. "I just woke up one day with no clue who I was. I had no memory of myself whatsoever, but I was given these powers. And…" Eve stopped speaking. Should she tell him about the moon speaking to her? How it told her what her name was? "The moon," Eve forced herself to continue. "It spoke to me. It told me I'm Eve Dawn- I think. And it said I've been chosen." Eve squirmed in her seat with the uncomfortable deepness that her story was now entering. "Nobody can see me… or hear me, either. They all just walk through me," she explained solemnly. Eve looked into Jack's eyes, her frown quickly changing into a big smile. "Everyone except you, that is," she finished.

Jack smiled back at Eve, gazing at her. Jack knew the feeling. He had also been alone for quite some time. Then a thought struck him. "How long have you… been like this?" He asked, hoping he had worded his question alright.

Eve bit her lower lip as she thought to herself. "Let's see… uhm… three-hundred years now? Give or take," she added, giving her guest a weak smile.

Jack let out a breathy laugh, completely astounded. He gazed at the girl as he smiled. "Me too," he found himself whispering.

At this, Eve straightened up, her eyes wide. "You… you're like me?" She asked, bewildered. Just a few hours ago Eve believed she was the only one of her kind. And now here was Jack Frost, telling her she had never really been alone.

Jack nodded. "I'm immortal, too. 'Have been for a little over three-hundred years, just like you." He paused, not sure if he should say what he was going to say next. "I died when I was eighteen. When I woke up, the Man in the Moon told me that I'm Jack Frost. Just that, and nothing else really. But he saved my life… well, he gave me a second chance at life, I should say. Just like…" Jack paused again, and looked into Eve's eyes, unsure with his theory, but deciding with himself that it must be true. "Just like how he saved you."

Eve was silent- her face was frozen with shock. "I… I died?" She asked, her voice cracking at the last word. She took a shuddering breath, trying to regain her composure. "So… I was somebody before?" She asked the questions that had been haunting her for all these years- the questions that she had always kept to herself.

Jack bit his lip, his salt and pepper eyebrows furrowed with grief. But then he nodded, inspecting Eve's reaction closely. "I'm sorry… I thought you knew. I didn't mean to upset you-"

"No, it's fine," Eve interrupted, swallowing back the lump in her throat. Blinking back tears, she forced a smile upon her face as she looked into Jack's caring blue eyes. "I'm glad I know, now. I've been wondering for so long. Thank-you, Jack," She whispered the last part as she looked back down, trying to digest all the information she had just received.

Jack observed her closely. "You know… I know somebody that can help you get your memories back."

Eve's head snapped up and she gazed at Jack with wide eyes. "Who?" She asked, leaning towards her new friend eagerly.

Jack smirked mischievously, and he leaned back, reclining with his arms crossed behind his head. "So tell me, Eve Dawn, do you believe in the Tooth Fairy?"

**Ta da! End of chapter four n_n I think this is my longest chapter, so far. Yayyyy **

**Thank you to the reviewer that suggested the scene where Jack explains his powers and how he doesn't get affected by the cold :D I almost completely forgot to explain that when I wrote the draft at school today n_n **

**I hope you all liked this chapter! A new one will definitely be put up tomorrow, since it's Friday and I have no friends :D But until then, please review! n_n thankyou all**

**Goodbye dearies~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thankyou so much for the follows! n_n I know this is like the 100****th**** time ive thanked you all but I just am so shocked that this story got any recognition haha**

**Here's chapter five! :D enjoyyy**

Eve raised her eyebrows at Jack's unexpected question. "The… Tooth Fairy?" Eve asked uncertainly.

Jack raised an eyebrow, a smirk curling his lips. "Don't tell me you don't know who the Tooth Fairy is," he said, holding back a laugh.

Eve rolled her eyes. "Of course I know who the Tooth Fairy is. And, to answer your question, I guess there's no way I can't believe in her now that I've met Jack Frost. Also, counting on our powers, I guess nothing is impossible," Eve told him. Jack chuckled at Eve's rambling and suddenly leaned in close to her over the table, a rush of pine, snowberries, and wintery scent wafting off of him and filling her nose. Eve caught her breath, shocked at Jack's sudden closeness to her face.

"So…" he began, a mischievous look playing upon his face, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement.

Eve blinked. "So…?" She asked, puzzled. Suddenly, Jack got up, walking to Eve's bed to grab her red cloak. Before she could even process it, Jack was at her side, holding out a hand, her red cloak draped on his arm, his staff in the same hand.

"Shall we, m'lady?" Jack asked, that signature smirk playing on his lips.

Eve blinked, staring at his hand before finally taking it, letting Jack lift her onto her feet. "I don't understand," Eve began as Jack fastened her cloak onto her. "Are we visiting the Tooth Fairy? _The _actual Tooth Fairy?"

Jack smiled wide, flashing his teeth- which were just as white as his snowy hair, Eve noted- as he said, "You bet we are!" Then he leaned in close, again, like he had a juicy secret to tell. His eyes were filled with excitement. "Tooth has all the baby teeth of almost everyone who's ever lived. She keeps them safely tucked away in her castle. Each child's baby teeth are kept in a compartment that only the owner of the teeth can open. All your baby teeth contain your memories," Jack explained. Eve listened, dizzy from the huge amount of strange information she had just received. Jack gave a soft smile. "My baby teeth are what helped me remember my past. I'm sure yours will help you, too."

Eve blinked, feeling tears approach. She gazed into Jack's eyes. "Why are you doing all this for me?" She whispered, eyebrows knit together with confusion.

Jack straightened up, looking at Eve as he searched his mind for the right words to say. "Because I know how it feels to be… alone… for so long. I know what it's like to have so many unanswered questions," Jack said slowly, as if he had something more to say. He paused, and then finished, "And because I really care about you. I know we just met, but I really do care a lot about you."

The tears were rolling freely down Eve's cheeks, now. How could she have been so lucky as to meet someone as kind as Jack? Overcome with joy, Eve hugged Jack without thinking. She wrapped her arms around his slender waist, and buried her face into his chest. After a couple of seconds she felt Jack hug her back, his arms sliding around her waist, as well. He was cold, but it felt nice. Despite his cold temperature, Eve felt incredibly warm inside. "Thank-you, Jack," she mumbled into his hoodie. She pulled away slightly, her arms still around him as she looked up into his caring eyes. Jack gazed down at her and smiled.

He placed his hand on her cheek and wiped her tears with his thumb. "You're welcome," he responded. He removed his hands from her and placed them on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "No more tears, alright?" He asked with a soft smile.

Eve nodded, smiling back.

"That's better," he said. "Now then," he began, pulling up Eve's hood over her head and dragging it down over her eyes, playfully. Eve laughed as she placed her hands over Jack's- which were still gripping onto the edge of her hood. She grasped his hands, and lifted her hood as she heard Jack begin to talk. "Before we go to Tooth's castle, we need to make a quick stop," he told her.

Eve's eyebrows rose quizzically. "Where?" She asked.

At this, Jack smirked and pulled his hands away from hers as he twined his fingers together behind his back, strolling to the door, his staff tucked under his arm as he left. Eve pulled her hood in a good position over her head, and followed her strange friend until they were out the door. She closed the door behind them on their way out.

Once they were both outside, Jack turned to face her, his hands still behind his back. He untwined his hands and brought them forward, holding his staff in his right hand as he touched the bottom of it onto the ground in front of him, right between Eve and him. He leaned forward onto the staff, looking into Eve's eyes with a sly grin. "We're going to the North Pole," he told her, restraining himself from chuckling at her expression.

"The North Pole?" Eve repeated, completely caught off guard. _I must get used to his random acts, _Eve thought to herself. When Jack nodded, Eve crossed her arms. "How are we going to get there?" She asked skeptically. She could fly part of the way there, but she would not last for very long, for there were no strong warm air currents to sustain her for such a far flight. She could only ride winter wind currents for so long before the effort becomes too much.

Jack pursed his lips playfully as he looked up at the sky, as if debating something with himself. As if a light bulb went off over his head, Jack smiled to himself, his face brightening. Suddenly, Jack grabbed Eve's left hand, encircling it around his staff, placing his right hand over her left so they were both grasping the staff. He held her free hand with his own, and leaned slightly forward.

"Do you trust me?"Jack asked Eve, looking into her eyes intently.

Eve almost didn't respond, distracted by his cold hands on hers. She blinked, realizing that she had a question to answer. "What? Do I- uhm, yes. Of course I do!" She blabbered, looking into Jack's eyes, confused. What was he going to do?

But Eve's question was immediately answered. Jack quickly swung Eve onto his back, and kicked off the snowy ground and into the air, flying with gathering speed.

Eve couldn't help but scream, and then bury her face in the back of Jack's neck- into his hoodie- as Jack chuckled, flying even faster.

Eve tightened her arms' grip around Jack's neck as much as she could without harming him. She tightened her legs around him, her stomach doing flip-flops inside her as Jack did a loop-de-loop, letting out a childish cheer of exhilaration.

Hesitantly, Eve lifted her face slightly from the hood of Jack's hoodie. The cold wind whipped at Eve's face, numbing her cheeks instantly. "Jack!" She managed to call to him, struggling not to let her voice shake with fear, for she knew Jack would tease her more if her voice shook.

Jack turned his head back slightly, an eyebrow raised. "What?" He yelled back over the deafening wind.

Eve clutched the front of Jack's hoodie into her fists as she tried to find her voice, feeling as if the wind was stealing her breath. "If you drop me I swear I'll kill you!" She called to the winter spirit, burying her face back into his neck when he does another loop-de-loop. Jack was laughing loudly, his voice sounding like the very definition of winter, itself.

"I'm not going to let you fall!" He reassured her, tightening his grip on her legs as if to prove his statement.

Feeling sick from fear, even with Jack's word that she'd be safe, Eve kept her face buried into Jack's neck, refusing to look up. After what seemed like thirty minutes of flying in silence (except for occasional death threats from Eve and laughs from Jack), Jack called to his friend. "Eve!" He shouted her name over the wind. He laughed when he felt her shake her head- which was still buried into his neck. "Eve, look up," he demanded her.

Unsure if she wanted to, Eve slowly removed her face from its hiding spot, and looked to see what Jack was so excited about. She gasped at what she saw.

She could almost hear the smile in Jack's voice as he spoke. "Eve Dawn, welcome to the North Pole."

**Yayyyy end of chapter five n_n I hope you all have an amazing weekend, and I'll try and update sometime this weekend. I'm going to be very busy, but I will try my hardest. **

**Please review, favorite, and follow! Thankyou all so much, again. You guys are amazing n_n toodaloo~**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter took so long for me to write :S and it's the longest one, yet. But the length isn't really what made it take so long. I'm just not really feeling as enthusiastic to continue with the story, honestly :c I feel like it's not that great, but meh. Nobody likes what they make, I guess**

**Anyways, enjoyyy! Sorry for the really long chapter**

It was completely and utterly beautiful. The workshop- which looked more like a giant castle- was covered in ice and snow, and sat atop a cliff. The lights inside the building were welcoming, and added a magical glow that seemed to warm up the whole North Pole. Eve had to stop herself from bouncing with joy at the thought of what the inside would look like.

Santa's workshop was real! Does that mean-

"Jack," Eve called to him, feeling her heart beat with excitement. "Are… are we going to meet Santa Claus?" She asked, tightening her grip around him when they began to go lower, descending down to the workshop.

Jack chuckled. "Well if he's not busy then definitely! I bet he'd love to meet you. It's always great to find somebody like us," Jack explained.

Eve didn't respond, but her smile was so wide that her cheeks began to hurt. She felt like a little kid, again. Finally, for the first time since she woke up that day in the forest, Eve could feel the joy of the Christmas season.

When they landed close to the front door of the workshop, Eve loosened her grip on around her friend's neck, and let herself down slowly with the help of Jack- for he was so much taller than her that it would require her to climb down him. Once she was on her feet, which were considerably wobbly, she dizzily swayed, her body trying to get itself used to solid ground. Jack held her shoulders to steady her, and she laughed.

"Never again, Jack," Eve told him exasperatingly.

Jack gave a smile. "It wasn't that bad!" He defended. Then he brought his hand up, and poked Eve's nose. "Your nose is really red," he observed with another laugh. "And so are your cheeks."

Eve rolled her eyes, even though she was still smiling. "Because I'm _freezing_, Jack! Come on, let's get inside!" She told him as she let herself out of his grip and ran to the door, Jack following behind her.

When they were at the front door, Eve looked at Jack, who had a thoughtful look upon his face. "Funny," he said, "I've never used the front door to this place, before. I usually just fly in through the windows, use a snow globe, or get brought here in a sack."  
Eve looked at Jack blankly, wondering what on Earth he was talking about. Jack noticed her confused expression, and laughed. He reached forward towards the door, and knocked three times. "Guess I'll do it the old fashioned way," he said with a smile.

When the door opened, Eve almost had to stop herself from screaming at the sight of what answered it. The creature at the door was tall, burly, and completely covered in long hair. Eve grasped onto Jack's arm, holding it tightly against her as she backed away a bit, hiding behind Jack slightly.

"Hey, Phil!" Jack greeted the creature. Eve looked at him, wide eyed. What was he doing?! What was this thing?! They had to run away! The creature grumbled, as if Jack were the last person he wanted to see. Jack only smiled wider as the creature rolled its eyes, and refused to move away from the doorway. "Is North here?" Jack asked, a smug look on his face.

The hairy creature mumbled something incoherent, and opened the door wider, allowing room for Jack and Eve to walk in. Eve moved closer to Jack, refusing to budge. But Jack ushered her forward through the door, the frightening creature following behind them. Jack leaned in to whisper to Eve as they walked. "That's Phil. He's a yeti, completely harmless. The workshop is run by the yetis. They make all the toys."

Eve let go of Jack's arm, and looked behind her at the yeti that seemed to be keeping a wary eye on Jack as they walked. She looked up at Jack. "The yetis run the workshop? I thought-"

But before she could even finish her sentence, an incredibly small man (that looked almost like a beardless garden gnome) went soaring through the air on a toy jetpack. It was hurtling straight towards Eve at an impossible speed, and she gasped. Jack pulled Eve to the side, and the elf missed by a second, flying on with a high-pitched cheer.

"Was that-?" Eve began to ask, looking back to where the small man had flown off. He was long gone, but a loud crash could be heard behind them. Eve winced- that sounded painful.

"An elf," Jack explained. "Yeah, I know, you thought the elves ran the workshop," Jack laughed at the expression on Eve's face. "Nah, they don't. They just like to mess with stuff. Honestly," Jack began to whisper as he leaned towards Eve, again, "I think they're cooler than the yetis."

Eve could hear Phil grunt behind her, and Jack turned around and gave a big innocent smile before turning back forward. Eve smiled, now, letting out a laugh. Loosening up a bit, now, Eve started to observe her surroundings. The inside of the workshop was HUGE. The ceilings reached higher than she could fathom, and it was very cozy and homely, as if she were inside of a mansion during wintertime. Eve had yet to see any toy-making machines. Where would they keep the machines if they used this much room for just casual living rooms and bedrooms?

Eve's question was answered as Phil went ahead of them and opened up tall doors at the end of the hall they were walking down. Behind the doors was something that made Eve's jaw drop. Hundreds of toys filled the room, and there were yetis busily hustling about the room, not even sparing Jack and Eve a glance. The room had a couple of staircases aligning the walls, leading to a balcony that viewed the toy-making room from above. There were toy cars, airplanes, dolls, doll houses, stuffed animals, and thousands more toys that Eve had never seen before in her life.

At the sound of Jack's laugh, Eve snapped back to reality, shutting her gaping mouth as she blushed. "What do you think?" Jack asked her, looking into her eyes with excitement.

Eve looked at him, smiling big. "I can't even believe this is real," she breathed out, astonished. "This… it's just so amazing! I mean, I'm _actually in Santa's workshop!_" Eve laughed, slowly turning around to view every bit of the workshop. "It's like I'm dreaming," she whispered.

Jack smiled at her, understanding what she meant. He remembered his astonishment when he first laid eyes upon the workshop that he had tried so many times to sneak into, before. It was a lot to take in. He let Eve walk ahead, and gazed at her as she looked around the room in awe. Her red cloak's hood was down, her short wavy dark hair flowing beautifully around her face. She was looking up above at the flying toy airplanes and other magical toys, a huge grin on her face. Jack rested against his staff and found himself smiling as he watched his new friend. He found that he rather liked her smile, and that it caused him to smile a lot, as well- sometimes without noticing.

Suddenly, Eve faced Jack, and smiled softly at him. Jack straightened up, catching her eye. He felt his cheeks warm as Eve ran up to him. "This is all so great!" She exclaimed, hugging him. Jack felt his throat tighten, but he hugged her back, calming his racing heart. Why was he feeling like this? He wondered. He has never had these kind of sensations, before. Not from a person, at least. Normally he felt excited and happy when he created snowstorms, or had snowball fights. Never before has one person made him feel like this. Sure, he felt happy and ecstatic when Jamie first saw him. That feeling was completely different, though. It is nothing like what he was feeling right now.

Jack realized that he should probably respond. He pulled away and placed a smile on his face. "I'm glad you like it!" He let go of Eve, and rested his staff on his shoulder. "Now if only we could find-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a deep, Russian-accented voice merrily called out to the winter spirit. "Jack Frost! Welcome, welcome! It has been too long! And you have brought guest!"

Eve turned around to see a tall, muscular-even though he had a bit of a belly- man clothed in red approach them, a rosy-cheeked smile upon his face. He wore a furry black hat, and his sleeves were rolled up on his arms to reveal tattoos that read "naughty" on one arm, and "nice" on the other.

"Hey, North!" Jack greeted back to his friend, a smile playing on his face. "This is Eve. Eve Dawn," Jack introduced as North arrived. "Eve," Jack began, "This is St. Nick, Santa Claus, Clausey, Santey, Christmas man, whatever you prefer-"

"Call me North," the Russian man interrupted, giving Jack a look. Jack smirked mischievously. North held out a hand to Eve, who grabbed it, her hand completely tiny in comparison to the burly man.

Eve smiled as she shook his hand, "It's so nice to meet you! I love the workshop, it's really amazing! Everything is so great!"

North laughed. "I am very happy you enjoy workshop!" He released her hand and turned to face both the teens. "Now, I am guessing you need help for your friend, eh Jack? You would not bring immortal into workshop for just anything," North said with a smile.

Eve's eyes widened and she looked at Jack for an explanation. How could North already have known that Eve was an immortal? But Jack looked just as confused as she did. "How did you know she was an immortal?" Jack asked, recomposing himself.

North laughed again and said, "Jack, you are trouble-maker, indeed, but I know that even you would not bring girl to North Pole unless she was one of us- no matter how pretty."

Eve blushed and Jack blinked, looking at Eve, and then quickly back at North. His face was serious, now. "I was wondering if Tooth would be able to help Eve get her memories back. She was chosen by the Man in the Moon around the same time I was. She doesn't remember who she was, before. I was hoping you guys could help," Jack explained.

Eve looked up hesitantly at North, whose expression went from a concentrated listening, to a warm smile. He looked at Eve. "Ah, so Man in the Moon has chosen you, little one. Well then, we will go to office to speak," North said. "Come!" he beckoned to them as he walked off, leaving Jack and Eve behind. Eve looked at Jack, who gave her an encouraging nod. She took a deep breath, and followed North, Jack trailing close behind her.

When they reached North's office, Eve smiled. There was a beautifully carved ice train on a desk, and it was moving gracefully along ice tracks. North's office was filled with just as many strange toys, and two mischievous elves. One of them ran out of the room when North irritatingly rushed him out. It was holding a remote control to the airplane its friend was riding, and dropped it, causing the airplane to fall as it glided out of the room. The startled elf chased after his friend. Eve and Jack laughed at the display, before North closed the door to his office, grumpily huffing. "The rascals," he mumbled. "Elves make Christmas more of challenge every year!" North said as he walked over to where Eve and Jack were standing in the middle of the office, in front of North's desk. "Sit, sit you two," North instructed them. They did as they were told, and North stood before them, leaning back on his desk slightly. Eve continued to look around the room as she sat down in her wooden, plush covered chair. She looked at North when he began to speak.

"Now then," North began as he inspected Eve. "Tell me, child, what is your story?"

Eve explained herself, telling North everything, from the moment she woke up in the forest. She told him about her powers, and how she's been living on her own for hundreds of years. North listened closely, along with Jack, who was eager to learn more about her. Finally, Eve got to how she met Jack in the forest only a few hours ago. It was odd to think that she had only met Jack today. It felt like they've known each other for years, already. When she finished, North suddenly smiled.

"You remind me of fairy tale in children's books," North said as he went to his bookshelf, reading through the old spines of the books that filled the shelves until he found a particularly thick one, which he drew out from its spot. He placed the book on his desk, and searched through the pages, facing Jack and Eve. "She was a princess that sang to animals. Story is very different than real thing," North mumbled to himself as he flipped through the pages. Eve looked at Jack who gave her a smile and a shrug. "Aha!" North exclaimed, making Eve jump in her seat. "Snow White! Yes, yes, the similarity is very unmistakable. Black hair, skin white as snow, ability to talk to animals through song," North went on, listing the similarities. Eve suddenly stood up, and walked over to North's desk to look at the book, eagerly. She gasped. The girl in the picture looked very much like Eve. Jack walked up to North and Eve, and looked at Eve curiously.

She observed the picture. It brought a tingling sensation in her mind, as if she had seen the picture before. "Who is Snow White?" Eve asked hesitantly. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite recall. It was as if the story was buried deep within her mind, stored in a place she just couldn't quite reach.

North looked up, suddenly, gazing at Eve with disbelief. "You have not heard of Snow White? She is princess in very popular fairy tale. There are many movies about her."

Eve bit her lip. "I mean, she sounds familiar. I feel like I should know who she is… I don't know why, but it feels like it's very important that I know who she is."

Before North could respond, a voice interrupted.

"Know who who is?" An Australian accented voice asked. Eve turned to the source of the voice to find a tall bunny rabbit, wearing a belt and wielding two boomerangs. He was extremely tall, Eve noticed, even taller than Jack, and about the same height as North. Suddenly, Eve smiled big when she realized who this creature had to be.

"Are you the Easter Bunny?" Eve asked hopefully, a smile upon her face. Easter was her favorite holiday! Easter always meant that spring was here, and that she would finally be able to see her animal friends. The tall bunny was the mere definition of spring. He smelled of fresh grass and he carried colorful eggs in the belt that was slung across his chest.

The tall rabbit looked at Eve, shocked at seeing a girl in the workshop. He recovered though, and as he was about to answer her Eve could hear Jack groan behind her. "Who let the kangaroo in?" Jack mumbled.

"Oi, I heard that, Frostbite," the bunny warned, giving Jack a look. He looked back at Eve and gave a confident smile. "To answer your question, yes I am the Easter Bunny. E Aster Bunnymund's my name. You can call me Bunny."

Eve's smile brightened even more, but before she could respond Jack interrupted. "We're kind of busy here, Kangaroo," Jack said, annoyance in his voice. Why did he seem so upset by Bunny's presence? Eve wondered.

Before Bunny could throw back an insult at Jack, North intervened. "What is it you need, Bunnymund?" North asked, looking at his old friend and fellow Guardian.

At this, Bunnymund straightened up, remembering why he had visited. "It's Tooth," he answered gravely. "The palace has been ransacked by fearlings. Pitch is back, he's getting stronger" Bunny reported.

Eve didn't know what the Easter Bunny was talking about, but she could feel the sudden tense atmosphere and fear fill the room. She looked at Jack for some reassurance, for some calm. But Jack's eyes were wide with disbelief at what he had just heard.

North suddenly spoke up. "Is Tooth okay?" he asked, an urgent tone in his voice.

Bunnymund nodded. "It happened while she was away gathering teeth. But… North, they didn't do anything 'cept for destroy the place. The tooth fairies haven't been kidnapped. Nobody's been hurt. Just… one thing was stolen, just one person's baby teeth."

Jack stiffened by Eve's side. She looked at her friend, worried by his complete change in mood. It was odd to see Jack so serious and tense. It didn't feel right. "Whose teeth did Pitch take? Was it Jaime's?" he asked quickly, his eyes filled with rage.

The Easter Bunny shook his head. "Nah mate, that's the strange part. Wasn't anybody I know. Some girl, I think. Tooth said 'er name was Eve Dawn."

**Dun dun dunnnnn. **

**Cliffhanger woot woot**

**Gonna try and update sometime soon n_n Look forward to a jealous Jack in the next chapter. And now that things are finally getting interesting I think it'll be easier for me to write :D yayy. This took two days to write, and I don't really like how it ended up ;_; it seems too rushed. Meh. **

**See you all soon~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wooo thankyou guys so much for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! :D I really didn't expect this story to get any recognition n_n**

**I wasn't originally gonna post a chapter today but I've gotten a couple of people asking for a chapter so yesss here we go**

**I PROMISED YOU JEALOUS JACK, SO I SHALL GIVE HIM TO YOU :3**

Jack began moving, instantly. He went to North's desk and grabbed a snow globe. Eve was frozen in her place, an ice cold feeling consuming her from the inside- making her heart stop with fear. Somebody had ransacked the Tooth Fairy's castle to steal Eve's baby teeth. Who would do that? Why would someone want to steal her memories? What had Eve ever done wrong?

Eve felt a hand grasp her arm and she jumped, startled from her thoughts. Jack was holding her arm, looking at her intensely, his ice blue eyes gazing deep into hers. Once he was sure he had her full attention, he gave her a reassuring nod. "We'll find your baby teeth, Eve. But we have to get moving, first," he told her in the most soothing voice the Guardian of Fun could manage. Taking a deep breath, Eve nodded. Jack was right.

"Come!" North told them all as Jack handed him the snow globe. "We take sleigh!"

"Woah- woah, wait, _you're _Eve Dawn?" Bunnymund asked, looking at Eve with wide, green eyes.

Eve could only manage to nod, again, swallowing back the lump that had formed in her throat. Bunnymund straightened up. "Dun' worry, mate. We'll get this sorted out in no time," Bunny comforted her. The girl could already feel herself relax. Yes, everything would be alright as long as she had help from these wonderful new friends of hers.

So they all quickly went to North's sleigh, and climbed on. If the situation were different, Eve would have taken the time to admire the beautiful, powerful looking sleigh and the strong, giant reindeer that stood nobly before it, ready to take on any mission they are instructed to.

Eve sat between Jack and Bunny- who seemed to be very tense as he gripped on tight to the side of the sleigh with one paw, while the other held onto his seat. A million thoughts were running through Eve's mind. She felt as if she were in a deep, imminent danger that there was no possible escape from.

Noticing her withdrawn state, Jack put a comforting, cold hand on Eve's knee. Eve looked into her friend's eyes, and instantly felt calmer. Although he was the creator of all things cold, his eyes held something warm and calming within them. Eve gave her friend a small smile, which he then returned, squeezing her leg lightly in response.

"Is everyone buckled up?" North asked as he boarded onto the front of the sleigh, grabbing the reigns within his giant hands.

Eve looked down, and twisted around in her seat, looking left and right for a seatbelt. There were none. Panicked, she looked up. "I can't find the seatbelts!" She called out to North, worry in her voice.

"Tell me about it," Bunnymund muttered from her right as he slid lower and lower down his seat, as if bracing for something. Eve could hear Jack chuckle lightly, completely amused by the Easter Bunny's actions.

Instead of answering her, North only laughed, and then whipped the reindeer with the reigns, urging them forward.

They took off.

The sleigh was going one hundred times faster than Jack had flown, earlier, and Eve found it a complete challenge to stay in her bloody seat. The girl was constantly flying out from her seat, slowly, feeling like a powerful vacuum cleaner was right above her, trying to suck her in, never to escape again. Screaming with fear since the moment they took off, Eve gripped onto her seat, tightly, her knuckles turning white with the effort as she clamped her mouth shut so she could stay focused on not flying out of her spot.

Jack was cheering like a little kid, along with Santa, while Bunnymund was digging his claws into the sleigh with fear. Eve had to admit, she didn't blame him. It was as if they were all riding on a freak out of control rollercoaster with no seatbelts.

When North skillfully made some loop-de-loops in the tunnel they were soaring through, Eve instinctively grabbed onto Jack's arm, squeezing it to her for dear life. She could hear the winter spirit laughing as she buried her face into his sleeve, terrified of flying away. Would she be able to fly if she fell off? Or would the winter current be too hard to control. Jack held onto Eve's leg with his hand, keeping her leg from hovering out of her seat. "Don't worry," he whispered to her so only she could hear. It was then that Eve realized she was shaking with fear, and she forced herself to loosen up. Jack wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Building up her courage, Eve forced herself to look up, and found that North was holding up the snow globe that Jack had handed him back in the workshop. The crystal of the beautiful globe reflected bits of light, and Eve found herself mesmerized by the wonderful Christmas globe. Suddenly, North threw the globe ahead of the sleigh, and Eve could hear it shatter. Gasping, Eve straightened up, tightening her hold on Jack as she tried to peer over the sleigh. Why would he-?

A portal then opened where the snow globe had crashed, quickly answering Eve's question. _Ah, so that's what Jack meant by snow globe travel. _Her mouth dropped open with awe, Eve gazed around her as they crossed the portal, and reached to a wondrous castle in the sky.

_This must be Tooth's castle, _she thought to herself. Eve instantly felt her heart skip a beat, and then race when she remembered the reason they were at the palace. The sleigh had finally slowed down and stabilized, so Eve hesitantly let go of Jack's arm, and he removed his hand from her leg.

Eve looked around her in complete astonishment. The palace was _huge. _It stretched out as far as she could see, seeming to float on absolutely nothing. It looked as though the castle were from some kind of dream. To her own surprise, Eve found herself smiling despite the dangerous situation she was in.

The sleigh began to go lower, and it rocked back and forth unsteadily. Eve grasped onto Jack's arm again as she was nearly thrown out of her seat and off the sleigh. Jack laughed and held onto her leg, again. "Probably best if you just hold onto me until we touch ground," he suggested, earning a nod from the raven-haired girl.

It was then that Eve heard the buzzing. Yet, it seemed more like a quick fluttering. Chirping began invading her hearing, and Eve saw them- hundreds of thousands of little humming-bird- like creatures, some carrying teeth in their miniature hands, while others carried coins of various currencies.

"Woah," Eve found herself whispering, completely awestruck.

Suddenly, one of the small humming-bird creatures flew to Jack, hovering in front of the guardian's face and flying around him, chirping affectionately.

"Baby Tooth!" Jack greeted with a bright smile, laughing as the adorable creature nuzzled his cheek happily.

It suddenly drew away with a chirp, and then spotted Eve's grasp on Jack's arm. The small, colorful creature began chirping in its foreign language, and gripped onto the sleeve of Eve's dress, trying to pull her away from Jack.

"Baby Tooth, what're you doing?" Jack asked, his eyebrows raised with surprise.

Eve's eyebrows furrowed and she slowly complied, loosening her grip on the winter spirit, and then releasing his arm. But the little hummingbird was not satisfied. She looked down at Jack's hand on Eve's leg expectantly, a pout on her tiny face.

Jack was looking from his hand, back to Baby Tooth confusingly. "What's up, Baby Tooth?" He asked as he removed his hand from Eve after the small hummingbird pulled at his fingers impatiently.

Eve laughed, feeling he cheeks warm up when she realized that Baby Tooth was jealous. "I think she doesn't want me touching you, Jack," Eve explained. Jack looked at Eve, his icy-blue eyes widening as his cheeks flushed slightly. The red-cloaked girl looked at the hummingbird with a smile. "Is that right?" She asked the tiny creature gently, so as not to insult it further.

Baby Tooth gave a curt nod, crossing her arms as she glared at Eve. Eve laughed when Jack's face grew redder, and she scooted away from the winter spirit, closer to Bunnymund- who was watching the display next to him with an amused smirk.

Jack pouted slightly before Baby Tooth resumed zipping around her friend, chirping excitedly- as if nothing had happened. Jack laughed, his mood shifting. "It's good to see you, too! Yeah- it's been a while, hasn't it?" Jack replied to the creature's chirping. The colorful hummingbird sat on Jack's shoulder contently, satisfied that she had the winter spirit all to herself. Eve chuckled, a smile playing on her lips. Jack was quite popular, wasn't he?

The sleigh finally touched down, and everyone climbed out once North instructed them to. Eve stumbled out of the sleigh a little dizzily, and once her feet met the ground, she tripped clumsily. Jack made to catch her, but Bunny reached to the girl first.

"Gotcha, love," he reassured her as he helped Eve steady herself. She thanked him, smiling up at the rabbit. The tall rabbit laughed. "Ah, I dun' blame ya, darlin'. That sleigh is a devilish piece of work," Bunny said with a distasteful glance at the death machine.

Eve felt a cold hand on her shoulder, and heard Jack's voice. "You alright?" he asked concernedly. Baby Tooth was still sitting on Jack's shoulder, her arms crossed.

Before Eve could respond to tell her friend she was fine, Bunny interrupted. "'Might wanna back away, Frostbite. Wouldn't wanna upset little Baby Tooth, would'ya?" Bunny added with a teasing tone in his voice, a smirk on his face. Jack glared at the Easter Bunny, but it only made the rabbit smile more. "I'll escort Ms. Dawn. Don't worry 'bout her," Bunny offered, putting a paw on Eve's back as he lead her towards Tooth's castle, Jack following behind grumpily. Eve turned around to give her friend a quick smile, turning his mood around as he smiled back.

The three guardians and the red-cloaked girl all made their way into the main castle, letting themselves in when nobody answered the door. What they saw made them all gasp.

**I'm gonna stop the story here because I have, like, three art pieces I need to make for tomorrow :c I wanted to get more into the jealous Jack, but at least you guys got a glimpse of it ;3 hahaha**

**Sorry for such a short chapter, but I'll try and update as soon as I can! I'm really busy this wek**

**See you soonnnnn, and thankyou for taking your time to read my silly story**

**Please follow, favorite, and review!:)**

PS: sorry for any grammatical errors! I wrote this really fast. Please dun kill meeee ;_;


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long to update :c but I appreciate the reviews! n_n like wow, you guys are amazing :D Again, I'm really really sorry for taking so long but hopefully this chappy will make up for it n_n and also, I've written the draft to an extra fluffy chapter for the future :D so prepare for insane FLUFF n_n yayyyyy**

**Ahhh so again thankyou all for being so patient n_n as a reward, I shall try and update again tomorrow! :D yayayyy **

**Here's chapter eight! ENJOY**

The castle was ransacked, various containers of baby teeth scattered about in messy piles, as if someone had searched through the storing units in an immense rush. While walking into the castle, a soft scratching noise sounded underneath Eve and the Guardian's feet with each step, and when they looked down they saw- while Jack and Eve felt- the black sand strewn about the floor, glittering in its captivating purple and black color. Jack knelt down, and picked up of the sand in his hand, rubbing the grain between his fingers as he let it fall back to the ground.

"This is definitely fearling sand," Jack mumbles, and stood up- a strange look on his face that Eve had not seen before. "Pitch is back, and he's regaining his strength, by the looks of it."

Eve furrowed her eyebrows. Who was Pitch? Why was everyone mentioning him so often? And why did the name leave such a sick feeling within her?

"Bunny!" North called, startling Eve from her thoughts. The Pooka diverted his attention to the burly Russian, his ears perking up attentively. "Where is Tooth?"

The bunny sighed, giving his head a grave shake. "I dunno, mate. She came to the Warren an' told me to gather you all, then she sped off," Bunnymund recalled. "She just told me about Pitch ransackin' the place. I thought she'd be here."

"We'll search for her," Jack concluded, determined. He straightened up as he continued. "We can split up, and-"

"Not wise to split up," North interrupted the white-haired teen. "We go in pairs. There may still be fearlings around castle."

Bunnymund nodded. "'Es right, Frostbite. We don' need any more members goin' missin'."

Jack straightened up, seeming irritated to be proved wrong by his superiors, specifically Bunny. "Alright, then. I'll go with Eve," he volunteered, and Eve smiled for the first time since walking into the palace. As she was about to make her way to her friend, Bunny put a paw on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Nuh uh, Snowflake. I'll go with her. You pair up with North," he instructed with a hinting nod of his head towards Baby Tooth, who was frantically flying in circles above the Guardian of Fun's head, searching for her master. It amazed Eve how the Tooth Fairy's workers never stopped moving, always working even in times of crisis. It was very noble, Eve concluded. There were hundreds of little fairies searching the ruins for their master, while thousands were cleaning up, and thousands more were still at work, delivering coins and gathering teeth to the children of the world.

Glancing at the winter spirit, Eve smiled. "It's alright, Jack! No big deal," She told him, speaking for the first time since the sleigh ride. She tried to cheer up the teen, who was looking rather grumpy. "We'll find her, and then we'll get this whole thing sorted out," Eve said mostly for her own comfort. "We can meet back here if we find anything," Eve ordered them all, surprised when they nodded, agreeing to the new girl's orders.

And at that, they went off to search in their groups, Jack glaring at Bunny while he walked away with Eve, and North chuckling behind them as he leaded the winter spirit through the castle ruins, reminding him of their task.

Eve walked with the Easter bunny, searching through the ruins in the giant rooms of the palace. The sight saddened her. It seemed as if this castle was holy in some sort of way- something that should never be tarnished by the outside world. But here it was, lying in ruins. And honestly… it was all her fault. If this so called "Pitch" person hadn't been after her, none of this would've happened. But why now? Why is all of this happening now? She finally made some new friends, and now they're probably all going to hate her.

Biting her lip, Eve forced herself to relax as she took a deep breath. She looked at Bunnymund. He was holding one of his boomerangs in his paw, clutching it tight as he observed around them, staying close to Eve as if he were ready to protect her should anything happen.

Bunny smelled like fresh grass and flowers, and he brought the warmth of spring with him. Eve couldn't help but smile. But then her smile faltered as she thought of the hostility between her winter friend and Bunny. Unable to help herself, Eve looked at the tall Pooka as she asked, "Bunny?"

He looked down at her, attentive. "Was' wrong?" He asked, noting the look of confusion on her face, but quickly hiding his concern.

Looking away from Bunnymund as she stopped to search another pile of ruin, Eve asked, "You and Jack don't really hate each other, do you? I mean… you're not enemies, right?"

Bunny gave a snort, and searched through the large pile of ruin with her. "Yer' darn right me an' the overgrown ankle biter are enemies," he answered her, but it didn't sound sincere. Eve paused her searching, and looked at the bunny, making him stop in his search as well as he looked into the girl's eyes, green eyes meeting blue. Giving a sigh, he said, "Well… frenemies, I guess." Then he tensed and looked at the red-cloaked girl suspiciously. "Don' you tell him I said that!" He warned her, pointing his boomerang at her.

Eve laughed, and stood up after finishing searching through the pile. "Wouldn't dream of it," she told him with a smile. Bunny got up as well, a smirk on his face.

The pair continued to walk, and Bunny suddenly spoke up. "So tell me 'bout yourself, Red," he told her, making Eve look up at him in shock. "You have'ta be one of the oldest people to have ever seen us."

Eve furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Bunny looked at her, astonished. "Not everyone can see us, Red. Only those who believe. And normally only the children of the world believe in the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Santa, and the Sandman. Not many children believe'n Frost, either. Only a handful s'far. But you," he paused to observe her, "seem t'be at least Frostbites age."

Eve smiled, finally understanding what he meant. So they were all fairy tales, but they were real. Only those who could believe in them could see them. And… since Eve was almost one of them, that's probably why she could see them, too. Eve decided to answer the Bunny's question. "I'm like you guys, sorta. I died three hundred years ago. But the… well, Jack calls him the Man in the Moon. That guy- well, he healed me, I guess. He brought me back to life. I don't know how I died, or anything from my past life. But… here I am, I guess," Eve rambled, walking fast to keep up with Bunny's large steps.

Bunny seemed to thinking over everything Eve had said. "Thas' strange. Ain't seen ya 'round, before. Yer nearly as old as Frost. Have ya ever seen any of us? Or been seen by anybody?" He asked the girl. She shook her head no. Rubbing behind his ears, Bunny continued. "Well, y'got any sort of powers?"

Eve smiled at this, and nodded. "I can fly- only in the warm currents, really. The cold ones are hard for me to summon, so I normally stay in warm places. But, I can talk to animals and plants, and bring them both to life through my singing. That's… kinda it."

Bunny chuckled. "Y'sound like bloody Snow White, mate. Besides the flying and healing bit. Look like her, too," Bunny added.

Eve nodded, again. "That's what North said, before you came into the workshop. I… don't really know who Snow White is. But she sounds really familiar to me, for some reason."

Bunny gave Eve a confused glance, questions flitting through his mind. "So," he began, deciding to change the topic, "If y'don't serve well in cold climates, how did Snowflake find ya?" He asked as they searched through another pile of teeth containers. Eve studied the gold containers, crafted beautifully for each individual child. It warmed her heart to think that one had been made for her. That, even though she was invisible to most people, someone out there had made something just for her. It didn't even matter that it was stolen, just the knowledge that such an item existed filled Eve with happiness. She never had been alone, had she?

As she carefully searched through the pile, making sure not to ruin any of the children's containers, she answered Bunny's question. "I woke up in the forest in Burgess… when I died, that is. I normally stay year-round, in my cottage. Except during winter. It's normally too cold for me there, and it makes my powers weaken. But, I decided to stay this year… I'm not quite sure why… but I did," She whispered the last part.

Giving a smirk, the Pooka ruffled Eve's hair. "Thas' a little somethin' called fate, Red. Though the situation may not be so great, you were meant t'find us," The Bunny told her, making Eve smile.

"I'm so glad I did," Eve whispered, a smile on her face as she stood up with Bunnymund when they both began walking, again.

"So, just t'make it clear," Bunny stated slowly, a teasing tone in his voice, "Spring must be yer favorite season, right?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

Eve smiled, "By far. It's when my powers are strongest. It's the time I get to go home and see all my animal friends. And I always was fond of Easter," Eve added, nudging the Easter Bunny playfully.

Bunnymund chuckled, definitely happy with her answer. Ruffling her hair, again, he said, "Yeah, that's the right answer, mate. Finally somebody who's got some sort of sense. Frostbite and North ain't gonna hear the end of this one."

Eve's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would Jack care?" She asked. She knew that North's favorite season had to be winter, since it had his signature holiday, but it seemed like Jack wasn't really one to go with favorites, even though he was a winter spirit. Why would Eve's opinion bother him?

At this, Bunnymund laughed. "Nah, I think yer gonna have'ta find that out on yer own, Red," he told her, leaving it at that. Eve was more confused than before.

But she didn't have time to ask any more questions, because she suddenly felt a gut instinct pulling her towards a certain part of the castle. Her eyes widening, she looked at Bunny and said, "Follow me, quick!"

Then she took off, flying towards the part of the castle that seemed to be beckoning to her, drawing her in like a magnet. When she reached it, she gasped, and had to stop herself from falling from the sky at what she saw.

There was the body of a colorful, feather-covered woman, lying limp in a pile of black sand, clutching something in her palm. The woman had a gash across her arm, and she was mostly covered by sand and teeth containers. Blood was trickling out from the back of her head, pooling around her. Quickly, Eve landed by the Tooth Fairy's side, shoving containers off of the limp woman, and brushing off the black sand gently. Bunny reached Eve and Tooth, huffing and puffing furiously from trying to keep up with the red-cloaked girl.

"Crikey," he gasped, astonished.

Eve looked up at him. "I can heal her," she said, trying to stop herself from crying. She looked back at the beautiful, gentle creature. "I can try," She whispered as she placed a shaking hand on the back of the Tooth Fairy's head, right on the crack in her skull. Closing her eyes, she steadied her shaky breathing, and swallowed, willing herself to compose enough to sing.

And she did. She sang softly to the dying woman in her arms, clutching her close, feeling an instant bond to the Tooth Fairy. Her hands began glowing, and she placed them on the arm and head wound, singing louder as Bunny watched apprehensively, boomerangs clutched in his paws as he searched about them for someone to destroy- for someone to let out his anger on.

When Eve finished her song, she felt drained, but the Tooth Fairy was breathing more evenly, and her wounds had faded. Smiling to herself, Eve picked up the light creature in her arms, and stood up, stumbling slightly. She had used too much energy. But that didn't matter to her. The Tooth Fairy was safe. She would not die.

Bunny caught Eve as she stumbled, and steadied her. "'Ere," he whispered, taking Tooth from Eve's grasp, and carrying his friend close to him. "I'll take 'er. Let's head back to the others," he instructed.

Eve nodded, and smiled, but before she could say anything, black sand enveloped her, and she screamed before the sand covered her mouth, gagging her. She struggled as she saw Bunny attack the black sand that began ambushing them. She struggled to help him, but was completely useless as the sand's grasp on her grew tighter, cutting off her breathing. She struggled as her vision began to dim.

Everything turned to darkness.

**Dun dun dunnn :D another cliffhanger. Woop woop. I shall try and update tomorrow, but until then, please review! n_n Thankyou all :3**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! I BOUGHT THE RISE OF THE GUARDIANS MOVIE YESTERDAY! n_n and I watched it last night, so now I'm completely inspired to continue on with this story!**

**So I know I said I'd put up this chapter like a couple days ago but I just really wanted to take my time with it and make it the best it can be n_n I've kinda mixed up the story a bit and now it's gonna be following a new plot and I'm really excited :D I like this chapter a lot and I hope you guys will, too. :3 **

**But yesh! Sorry for the lack of Jack in the story lately :c but I hope that the Bunnymund/OC fluff kinda makes up for it n_n DON'T WORRY, Eve and Bunny will only be friends, and Eve/Jack shall commence :3 yayyyy**

**Anyways, that's enough of me talking, I'm sure you guys don't want to read my rambling XD so continue! I hope you enjoy!**

Voices. She heard voices. They were muffled, but she heard them nonetheless. The quiet hum filled her ears, and is what somehow got her mind to start working. Once she could focus, Eve realized it was not multiple voices she was hearing, but just one.

"C'mon, Red. Wake up, mate. Jack'll kill me if y'don't wake up," an Australian-accented voice called to her, worriedly.

Eve tried to call out to Bunnymund, desperate for his guidance through the darkness she was in, desperate for touch and warmth in the cold and endless isolation. But she couldn't speak. She couldn't move. Darkness consumed her being. There was no escape.

Suddenly, she felt herself being dragged- pulled by some unknown force even further away from her senses- from the world. She was being pulled deeper into the darkness.

Bunny's voice grew further, and further away… until it was no more.

_Cold. Eternal cold was what she felt… no… it was what she _remembered. _A cliff… she was running through a forest. They were gaining on her, now. Who- she didn't know. But she knew that death would come. It hung in the air like a veil- transparent, but still encompassing everything around her, still ever so present._

_ A child's hand pressed into hers- the sound of strained breathing- the sound of exertion and exhaustion musically entwining with the sound of small feet trampling on the forest ground. She could feel the Earth under her bare feet- the dirt and snow sinking between her toes with every step- cutting, numbing, _hurting.

_She couldn't stop, though. Not for a little bit of pain. Not if she wanted to protect him. He was the only thing that mattered, now. He was all she had left. If she stopped, she knew what would happen to them. What would happen to him. _

_ And she would protect him. With her _life.

_Gunshots rang in the silence, filling the air with a dreadful shock as it boomed through the quiet of the dead, winter forest. He's crying, now, but he struggles not to show his tears to her. He's being brave, just like she always told him to._

_ She stops running, but only for a second. Quickly, she faces the boy. "Come," she whispers with her arms outstretched as she pants quietly, keeping her breath steady- not allowing any trace of fear to make it to the surface. _

_ The boy knows he has no time to argue, so he goes into her arms, and she lifts him up, holding him tight against her chest as she ran. It's straining, now. The breaths she takes burn, and her feet have lost all feeling. Her arms quiver with the added weight, but- somehow- she continues to run. _

_ Because if she doesn't, he'll die._

_ They both will._

-The darkness pulls away as Eve feels paws lightly tapping at her cheek, becoming more harsh and more desperate by the second, trying to get a response. Words come to her ears, but they are broken.

"-ake… c'mon… Red… up," the voice tells her.

Then, everything slowly comes back to her: her hearing, feeling, memory of where she was, consciousness… and then her sight as her eyes flutter open- cerulean orbs taking in the sight of a tall pooka leaned over her, a look of relief plain on his features.

"That's a good girl. C'mon, Red. Easy does it, steady now," he tells her as she tries to sit up with his assistance.

She blinks, eyebrows furrowed as she fully recollects what happened. Black sand. Black sand had attacked her. Then… she had that dream… that awful nightmare.

Eve shuddered as Bunnymund rubs circles on her back, soothingly. "S'alright, Eve," he comforted. "S'the effect the black sand'll have on ya. Didja get a nightmare?" He asked solemnly, a serious look held in his green eyes.

Eve licks her dry lips, and nods slowly. "Yeah," she croaks, swallowing to clear her dry throat. "Was just a nightmare," she murmured, controlling her shaking and regaining her composure.

"Tooth," she suddenly realized, looking at the body that laid calmly on the floor, breathing evenly.

"She's alright," Bunny reassured, looking at the Tooth Fairy fondly, a protective stance consuming his posture. "C'mon," he urged Eve, helping her to her shaky feet. "Gotta get 'er to the others," he murmured, picking up his friend yet again.

Eve drew her cloak around her, her hands shaky as she tried to warm her body, urging the last of the ghastly cold out of her being.

Bunny looked her over, skeptically. "Y'sure you're alright, mate? Y'look like you've seen a ghost," he inspected, eyeing the forest spirit suspisciously.

Eve nodded quickly, despite the dizziness that consumed her mind. She forced a smile on her face that she hoped was nonchalant. "I'm fine! Just the after-effect, I guess. No big deal. Let's go, now. We need to get Tooth somewhere I can take care of her some more," she urged the Bunny, giving him no time to argue as she headed back towards the entrance to the palace.

Nobody could know about her dream, Eve concluded. By the looks of it, Eve was in terrible danger. And she would let no one but herself suffer.

No matter what.

* * *

After scouring over the Tooth Palace a total of three times for any leftover black sand creatures (Eve had been told they were called fearlings), the Guardians and Eve rushed back to North's workshop, and placed the colorful, feather-covered fairy in a bed in one of North's many guest rooms.

After much protest from the others, Eve finally got the Guardians to let her take care of the Tooth Fairy. The boys had wanted Eve to rest, North and Jack learning of Eve's terrifying moment of hostage by the fearlings when Jack had discovered black sand still leftover in Eve's wavy mess of hair.

But Eve wouldn't have it. She repeatedly vtold them that she was fine, and stubbornly got to work on tending to Tooth. Sooner or later, the Guardians each left the room, one by one. North had to go prepare for Christmas (which was only a few days away), Bunny had to go to the Warren to work on painting his eggs, and Jack (who left last) had to go do his round of winter weather in the places around the world that were expecting the white winter miracle. Jack was hesitant about leaving Eve alone in a place that was still so foreign to her, but she smiled and reassured him that she'd be fine, and that if anything were to happen, North was within easy reach. Reluctantly, Jack finally agreed, and sped off through an open window, promising he'd return as soon as he could.

So Eve was left alone with the Guardian of Memories, tending to her wounds and using her magic multiple times to reassure herself that the fragile woman would be alright. She felt nervous- taking care of the lady she had never properly met, before. Somehow, though, she felt obliged. Like it was her job. For some odd reason, Eve felt like she owed the Guardian a favor.

Eve watched her patient as she sat on a wooden chair by the Guardian's bedside. Tooth was peacefully asleep, seeming pretty much fully recovered. That brought a smile to Eve's lips, and released the tension she didn't realize she'd been holding. Still, though, she was worried.

Out of habit, Eve reached out to the Tooth Fairy, and was going to feel her forehead for a fever when the Guardian's eyes suddenly shot open, and her tiny hand shot out from the bed covers to wrap firmly around Eve's thin wrist. Eve inhaled a sharp gasp of shock, and froze, her body going cold and tingly from the unexpected surprise.

Her eyes wide, the red-cloaked girl watched as the Tooth Fairy's violet eyes turned to focus on Eve. Tooth relaxed, but her grip still remained as she smiled at the girl.

"Eve Dawn," Tooth whispered weakly as she gazed at Eve, as if the raven-haired girl were some kind of distant dream. Then the Guardian looked distraught, a sad and scarred look on her face. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen," she whimpered, violet eyes watering up. "I tried to stop him," she explained frantically, as if she were defending herself. "I tried to stop them both."

Eve was speechless. She was talking about Pitch, right? What did she mean by both? Maybe Pitch and the fearlings….

Pushing back a nagging sensation in her mind, Eve offered a gentle smile, which seemed to relax the Guardian considerably. "It's alright. They're just baby teeth. You did your best. No harm done."

Tears were streaming down Tooth's face as she gazed at Eve, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "The… teeth? Yes, of course... of course… we'll find your teeth, sweetie," the Tooth Fairy stuttered. She looked even more distraught than before, now- her grip was loosening.

Eve leaned forward, her eyes meeting the Guardian's. "How are you feeling?" Eve asked, gently pulling her wrist out of Tooth's grasp so she could check her wounds. "I healed them the best I could, but my magic can only do so much. You might need some bed rest for-"

"You healed me? With magic? Wha- h-how? This, it isn't…" Tooth hesitated before continuing. "I'm not… dreaming right now? How… how are you here? You died-" Tooth cut herself off, her eyes growing wide as she finally took in Eve with her panicked eyes. "You… the Man in the Moon… he chose you?" Tooth asked, shaking now. "You've been alive all this time?!"

Eve drew back from the Tooth Fairy, completely confused and scared. "How do you know when I died?" eve asked, eyeing the Guardian, suspiciously. She was delirious, that's what was going on. She probably just hit her head too hard. Either way, Eve still wanted her question answered.

Blue eyes met violet ones as Eve repeated her question, persistent now. "How do you know when I died?" She asked firmer this time.

Tooth's mouth was slightly agape, and she looked completely and utterly baffled. Before she could answer Eve's question, the doors to the room opened softly.

"Eve, I can-" the voice began, but stopped. "Little Red!" The booming Russian voice suddenly exclaimed. "You healed Tooth!"

Eve averted her gaze to the jolly Russian man that was now making his way towards them. "Yeah," Eve murmured, eyeing the feathered Guardian. "She just woke up."

A big smile stretched wide on his face, North turned to Tooth. "How you feeling, Toothiana?" He asked, regarding his fellow Guardian with a warm and welcoming smile.

Tooth- who seemed grateful for the distraction- answered her friend with a soft smile. "I'm great, North. I'm feeling fine," she responded shakily. Clearing her throat as she sat up, the Tooth Fairy composed herself. "I need to head back, now! The Baby Teeth will need my help cleaning up, and there are so many children that I need to make sure are tended to! We can't fall behind," she rambled as she suddenly tried to get out of bed, only to be stopped by her superior.

"No, Toothiana. Fairies can handle on own. You stay at Pole for while. Until recovery process is complete. Come, we sit by fireplace," North beckoned to both Tooth and Eve. Eve noticed Tooth rush out of the room, her wings fluttering almost invisibly, not even sparing Eve a glance on her way out. A pout on her face, Eve got up and followed the two Guardians. Eve knew she'd have to get alone with Tooth in order to finish their conversation. She was going to have the Guardian answer her questions. Whether she liked it or not.

* * *

"Eggnog?" North asked Eve as he offered her a tall mug of the creamy drink that Eve had seen many humans drink, before. She always had been curious about how the beverage tasted.

Eve smiled and accepted the mug. "Thankyou," she said softly. She was getting sleepy, and sitting in the corner of the plush couch of North's living room, right next to the warm and calming fireplace, was only increasing her drowsy state.

When was Jack coming back? She had to head home. Eve was sitting in the main living room of the workshop, accompanied by North and Tooth, who were chatting idly as Eve thought to herself. They were all waiting for the Guardians to arrive and assemble within the living room. Bunny and Tooth still needed to hear her story, according to North. Apparently, there was another Guardian that would also be joining them. Tooth seemed eager to hear Eve's story, although she tried to hide it. North had to calm the fairy at one point- for she was getting rather shaky with anticipation.

Eve sipped her eggnog, savoring the sweet concoction. A nervous queasiness was worming its way into Eve's stomach, settling within her and slowly plaguing through her body. She was told the Guardians would help her find her memories. But she couldn't help but wonder why they would bother to help. And what about after they help her retrieve her teeth? Would they ten leave her? Would she just be dumped back home to her cottage to live alone for three hundred or more years, again?

"Sandy!" Eve heard North call joyously, making her look up to see who was walking into the living room to join them. "Yes, yes, I know you are very busy with dreams, but this is important. We have guest," North explained. "Come," he beckoned. Eve took in the short golden man, completely made of some kind of magical sand. His hair was spiked playfully in every direction, and he was rather plump and cherubic-looking. Eve racked her mind. She often heard kids speak about this man during her many trips to the villages and towns. But she couldn't quite recall his name.

When realization struck her, Eve felt rather dumb, indeed. North had called him Sandy. He's the sandman! Eve smiled at the Guardian as he approached her, forming a hat out of sand on his head which he then took off and tipped as a greeting to her. "Sandy," North began, "This is Eve Dawn. She is friend of Jack. Eve, this is-"

"The Sandman!" Eve exclaimed, smiling as she stood up. "It's great to meet you. I-" Eve began, but blushed, for what she wanted to say sounded rather foolish now that she thought about it. "I-uhm, I think I've sen your work. The- uhm, the golden sand in the air. I used to sit in the trees and watch it every night. I always wondered what that was, but I never did try and find out," she explained with a nervous smile on her face as she set down her eggnog.

Sandy was smiling big, giving a nod as various symbols made out of sand appeared over his head. Eve's eyebrows drew together in confusion as she tried to find out what he was doing. "Sorry," she apologized, "I- uh, what are-"

"Sandy says he is glad you like dream sand," North translated with a smile. "Sandman does not speak, so he communicates through pictures."

"Oh," Eve answered, understanding now. "Well, it really is nice to finally meet you," Eve answered to the Sandman as he shot her various symbols that probably went along the lines of "nice to meet you, too".

As Eve sat back down in her spot, eggnog back in her hands, North spoke to Sandy softly. "We are waiting for other Guardians. Eve was chosen by Man in Moon, like us. She does not remember her memories from past life. Pitch has stolen her teeth from Toothiana's castle," Eve heard North explain to the Sandman. She let their conversation fade as she gazed out the window, allowing herself to be consumed by her thoughts, yet again.

After a couple of minutes, bickering could be heard through the halls.

"Ya bloody Eskimo!" An Australian accent spat.

"Kangaroo," a teen's voice retorted.

"Show pony!"

"_Cotton tail!"_

"Ah," North spoke as he stood up. "It appears Jack and Bunny have arrived," he spoke warily, giving a slight chuckle at Eve's confused expression.

"Is everything alright?" She asked him as she heard the arguing continue as it drew closer to the living room.

"Yes, yes, those two always argue. They are like children, no?"North explained amusingly, laughing to himself.

Just then, Jack flew into the room, tailed by a very peeved Easter Bunny.

"Get back 'ere, ya ice pop!" Bunny commanded as he stood up in the doorway, glaring at Jack.

"In your dreams, Kangaroo," Jack teased, a smirk on his face as he settled into the living room, on the armrest to Eve's right that she was leaning against. "Hey, Eve. I see you've met Sandman," Jack spoke, trying to distract her from the angry Bunny that was heading towards them.

Eve raised an eyebrow, a smile lifting the corners of her lips. "What did you do, Jack?" She asked as her friend gave an innocent smile.

"I'll tell ya what 'e did! The drongo froze over the bloody hall! Tryin' to be all clever and cheat while we were racin' 'ere," Bunny rambled on, glaring at Jack as the Guardian of Fun chuckled.

Jack then crossed his arms indigently. "I beat you fair and square, Bunny. You never said I couldn't use a little bit of ice. No harm done," Jack defended with a big smile, irritating the pooka further.

Before the argument could pursue, North interrupted them. "Enough, ladies," he teased the two. "We have important things to discuss. Tooth and Sandman, and I believe Bunny also must hear Eve's story. We must all get background if we intend to find Pitch and bring back Eve's teeth, no?"

Reluctantly, Jack and Bunny settled down. To poke Jack's nerves even further, Bunny sat down next to Eve on the plush couch, giving Jack a smirk that she couldn't see. "Don' mind if I sit 'ere, do ya, love?" He asked her, noting Jack stiffen up and glare at the pooka.

Eve smiled at her friend. "Of course not," she responded. After Jack mumbled something incomprehensible, Eve explained her story to all the Guardians, who listened intensely, not interrupting once, and often giving her little nods of encouragement when she hesitated.

It felt good to tell her story to them all. It was nice to be able to explain herself to people who could actually listen and give responses back. Eve was still so unused to being able to talk to people, and she found her throat actually start to hurt from talking so much. She sipped on her eggnog when her throat would get raspy, but she continued her story.

Eve still found herself trying to grasp onto the fact that _she wasn't alone anymore. _Eve had friends, now. They were friends that could see her, friends that could hear her… friends that went through exactly what she did, and know exactly what she's going through. It was then that Eve realized that even if they were to drop her back at her cottage when this was all over, she wouldn't nearly mind as much as she thought she would. Because now Eve knew that she wasn't alone. Her heart would no longer weigh down in her chest with the grief and pain of loneliness and confusion. If she truly needed someone to talk to, she always had the Guardians.

When she finished her story, they were all silent. It was Toot h who spoke first.

"Eve… darling, we will help you get your teeth back. I promise," the fairy reassured her, an intense look in her purple eyes.

"Pitch will not go through with what he did without a fight," Jack added, giving his new friend a comforting yet convinced and confident look.

The rest spoke agreements, and Sandy gave her an encouraging thumbs up. Eve felt her heart swell with gratefulness. Suddenly, Tooth spoke up again.

"Bunny!" She exclaimed, a worried look on her face. "You're bleeding!"

The bunny next to her shifted, and Eve noticed a cut on his inner left arm, on the other side of him, out of Eve's sight while sitting on the couch. Eve adjusted herself on the couch, sitting on her legs as she leaned towards the Easter Bunny.

"Ah, it's just a scratch. Back from the fearlings. S'no big deal," he tried to wave off the look of worry on everyone's faces.

Eve gave Bunny a serious look. "Bunny, let me see," she ordered, reaching out her hand as she took his furry arm in her hold, after a broken protest and wince from the pooka. There was indeed a wound on the Bunny's arm. How he managed to hide it, she had no idea. And this was no "little scratch". Eve looked up into Bunny's green eyes. "I need you to be very still. I'm going to heal it," Eve told him, feeling a little nervous. Everyone in the room was going to hear her singing. Her ancient, personal song.

"Ah, we will finally see you use your powers," North exclaimed, seeming interested.

Eve noticed everyone's suddenly interested looks as they gazed at her, making her blush. She focused on Bunny's wound, placing her small hand on his injury. Taking a deep breath through her nose, and out her mouth, Eve swallowed before she began singing her foreign song, in a language that nobody in the room could understand. It was calming, though… almost like a lullaby, they noticed.

The Guardians all watched in interest as Eve's hand began to glow, along with her pendant. Nobody spoke a word, not even Bunny- who had stopped protesting. When her song ended and she had finished, it was quiet. Eve opened her eyes, and drew away from Bunny, looking around the room at the wide eyes that were fixed on her. She blushed intensely at the attention.

"That was amazing," Tooth breathed, seeming enchanted.

"Very impressive, Little Red! Look, wound is gone!" North exclaimed happily.

Eve smiled at the praises as Sandman nodded excitedly. She had never felt so important… so proud. Sitting back in her corner on the couch, she heard Bunny speak. "Thanks, Red. I owe ya one," he thanked her with a smile.

The red-cloaked girl smiled big. "You saved my life. We're officially equal," she retorted. Eve looked to Jack, the only one who hadn't spoke, and felt her smile drop when she saw him looking at Bunny with an expression she couldn't quite decipher. He noticed her gazing at him, and smiled though, reaching out to ruffle her hair as he said, "Good job, Eve."

Eve felt herself blush, but she thanked the winter spirit.

The group remained in the living room, eating cookies and drinking eggnog as the night waned on. Eve could feel herself growing sleepy, and she tried her hardest to fight off the sleep that was threatening to take over.

Eventually, Eve couldn't help but lean into Bunny's furry side as she fell into a drowsy state, her mind starting to shut down and invite the sleep that her body desperately needed. As her heavy eyelids fell closed, Eve could barely hear Bunny chuckle. "Look 'ere, Frostbite. Seems like your friend is takin' a liking to me," he teased as she heard Jack mumble something.

She couldn't bother to respond to the teasing or even listen anymore as she finally let the sleep into her fatigued body.

Before she finally fell asleep, a dark chuckling sounded in the far depths of her mind, chilling her to the bone and drawing her into darkness.

**Ooooh this is my longest chapter :DD I hope you guys enjoyed it. I promise, you will have Tooth's behavior explained soon. But prepare for the next chapter! Eve spends the day with Jack! n_n to make up with Jack's lack of participation in the past chapters.**

**Until then, goodbye everybody! :D please favorite, follow and review **

**Thankyou so much for sticking with me! It really means so much and it encourages me to continue on**

**Ciao! **


	10. Chapter 10

**So would you guys be interested in me drawing a picture of Eve? n_n I'm thinking about doing it, but I'm not quite sure. Let me know!**

**Anyways, here's chapter ten!**

"Hey, North!" The Guardian of Fun called as he skidded to a halt in North's living room- where Tooth and the Guardian of Wonder both sat. It was morning, now, and Jack had just come back after a long night of Canadian snowstorms. On his trip, though, he had visited Jamie and promised his first believer that he would come back after he made a stop at the North Pole. "Is Eve awake?" Jack asked, excitedly, a giant smile on his face. He couldn't wait for Jamie and Sophie to meet the forest spirit.

North gave the winter spirit a soft smile. "No, Little Red is still asleep," North answered, warily.

Jack scrunched up his nose, impatiently. "Well, it's already eight-thirty. I promised Jamie he could meet her-"Jack paused, though, when he noticed the tear trails on Tooth's face. Ice blue eyes wide, Jack flew to the Guardian of Memories, and kneeled in front of her. She was sitting on one of North's plush armchairs, and she looked so distraught that Jack couldn't even recognize her. "Tooth," Jack began, trying to look into her eyes as she tried to look away. "Tooth, what's wrong?" He asked, placing a cold hand on the Tooth Fairy's feather-covered shoulder.

She finally looked at him, and her eyes revealed guilt. Before she spoke, she glanced at North, who gave her a stiff shake of his head, his eyes telling her "no". Jack did not see this exchange, though, and Tooth gave her friend a weak smile. "I'm just worried about finding Pitch. I… I hope he doesn't do anything to Eve's memories, that's all," She told him softly.

Jack observed his friend, not convinced. He knew something was wrong… Tooth was lying, that much was obvious. But what was really going on? Before he could express his concern, though, North interrupted him, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder and leading him away from the Guardian of Memories. "Jack, how about you wake up Little Red? I am sure your girlfriend will like to spend day with you, no?" North said teasingly, making Jack blush and successfully distracting him from Tooth.

Jack crossed his arms, glaring at North. "She's not my girlfriend," he stated, ignoring the way his heart pounded.

North laughed and patted Jack's back, making him stumble forward from the strength of the burly Russian's large hand. "Yes, yes of course not," North joked, giving Jack a wink, which only made the Guardian of Fun's cheeks redden more.

Straightening up, the Guardian of Fun put on his normal, confident face. "I'll be right back," he told his fellow Guardians as he flew out of the room and to Eve's room, ignoring North's chuckles behind him.

When Jack reached to the guest room Eve was staying in, he automatically knew something was wrong. The air was tense… something was off. Panicking, Jack swung open Eve's door to find a horse fearling crouched over her bed, covering her with thick shadows and black sand. "Hey!" Jack shouted, aiming his staff at Pitch's creature. The fearling turned towards jack and let out a fearsome neigh, its yellow eyes bright and angry, its nostrils flaring as it exhaled.

Clutching onto his staff, Jack automatically shot a bolt of ice at the nightmare, careful not to hit Eve. The dark creature easily dodged the shot (which ended up frosting a wall after it missed its target), and backed away from Eve's bed, charging towards an open window as it tried to escape. Groaning with frustration, Jack chased it across the room. "Get back here!" He yelled as he flew after the nightmare, shooting another bolt of frost towards the fearling. The creature got out the window, though, and Jack flew out after it. But once he was out the window… the nightmare was gone. Jack flew around the workshop, searching for the creature, but it was nowhere to be found.

Irritated that he let it escape, Jack flew back to Eve's room to check on her. Once he was inside her room, he flew to her bedside, and brushed off the black sand that was littered all over her body. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, placing a hand on the girl's forehead and pushing back her hair that was messily tangled and covering her face. She was warm- warmer than usual. Sweat beaded on Eve's forehead, and her eyebrows were furrowed, as if she were having a bad dream. Her eyes moved rapidly beneath her lids, and her breathing was quick and shallow.

Resting his staff against a nightstand, Jack sat down on Eve's bed, and gently lifted her into his arms, placing her on his lap. He held her close, trying to cool her down with his cold body temperature, and trying to provide some kind of comfort to her. "I'm sorry," he apologized again when she shivered. "You need to cool down. I'm sorry," he told his friend, although she couldn't hear him.

Eve mumbled gibberish in her sleep, and rolled her head to the side, burying it into Jack's chest. Jack felt his heart race, and he took a deep breath. Why was he feeling like this? How does Eve make him feel so… nervous? Whenever he's around her, all he wants to do is make her smile.

_You're the Guardian of Fun, _he told himself. _It's your job to make people smile._

But this was different. Jack didn't care much when Bunny or the other Guardians played with Jamie and his friends. It didn't bother him. But when Bunny was touching Eve, or talking to her, or making her laugh… it made him angry. It's like he wanted Eve to himself. Not that he would admit this to anybody _ever, _but he almost felt like he wasn't as good as Bunny. He felt threatened by the Pooka. And every second Eve hangs out with the Guardian of Hope Jack finds himself getting more and more panicked at the idea that Eve will forget him.

Last night… when Eve was healing Bunny… she seemed so concerned. She looked at him so fondly… she doesn't look at Jack like that. And then when she was smiling and happy, she looked at Jack and he somehow made her smile go away. He did the opposite of the one thing he wanted to do. Instead of being the one to make her smile, he was the one that made her frown.

And when she fell asleep in Bunny's side, all curled up next to him… Jack had to leave that second. Otherwise he would've frozen Bunny solid.

Jack held the girl closer to him, and she murmured in her sleep, again, sleepily hugging Jack to her. Jack felt himself warm up, and his throat tightened. He realized that he was completely tense, and exhaled, loosening his muscles as he smiled softly. Eve looked calm, now. Her eyes stopped moving, and she wore a small smile in her deep sleep. Jack undid an arm from around her, and hesitantly put her hair behind her ear to show her face clearer. She looked so calm when she slept….

"Jack!" The Russian-accented voice called. Jack jumped, and snapped his head from Eve to the door, where North suddenly appeared from the hallway. "Jack, there was fearling sand. It came in through window. We thought-"he began but suddenly cut himself off. "How is Little Red?" He asked, walking over to the young Guardian, Tooth trailing behind.

"She's fine. Well, sort of. There was a fearling crouching over her bed. I tried to get it but… it escaped," Jack explained. North listened attentively, his eyes wide. Then, the white-bearded Guardian looked at the position Eve was in on Jack's lap and raised an eyebrow, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Hmm," North began, giving Jack an amused smile. "Not your girlfriend, eh?" North laughed, ruffling Jack's hair. The winter spirit blinked, his face going scarlet, his mouth slightly agape.

"S-she had a fever! I was trying to cool her down- ah, bug off, North," Jack swatted a hand at the older Guardian, completely embarrassed. He ignored North's laughs as he placed Eve down on the bed, gently pulling her arms off from around his waist. Eve's face automatically went panicked again, and her eyes began to move rapidly in her sleep. Without thinking, Jack automatically grasped Eve's hand, and she calmed again. Jack looked at North, his eyes filled with worry. "North, we gotta do something. The fearlings, they're messing with her dreams. I don't know why they're after her, but we need to find out," Jack begged the Guardian of Wonder.

North pressed his lips into a tight line, and looked at Tooth- who was silent the whole time, her eyes fixed on Eve. The Russian man looked back at the younger Guardian. "We will find out what Pitch is up to, Jack. It will take time," he explained.

Jack nodded, and then looked back at his friend. "We need to wake her up," Jack whispered, leaning towards the raven-haired girl.

North shrugged, crouching by the girl's bedside, Tooth hovering behind him. "Is worth a try," he said.

"C'mon, Eve," Jack spoke to the forest spirit as he shook her shoulder with one hand, holding her hand with the other. "Eve, it's just a nightmare. Wake up," he said louder this time, making the girl moan and stir in her bed. "Wake up, Eve," Jack commanded, shaking her shoulder lightly.

Eve's eyes fluttered open, and she squeezed Jack's hand tight. Suddenly, she took in a sharp breath. "Don't let them take him!" She yelled as she sat up straight, holding onto Jack's hand tighter and looking at the winter spirit, panicked. Her eyes were wide open, now, and she blinked, loosening her grip on Jack's hand as she observed the young Guardian. She seemed to finally come to. "J-Jack? Wha- what's going on?" She asked as she looked down at their hands and let go, embarrassed.

Jack sat up straight. "You were having a nightmare, Eve," he explained. The girl's sky blue eyes searched his, and she swallowed.

"I… I don't remember it," she whispered. "The last thing I remember… is falling asleep, in the living room. And-"she paused, seeming to reconsider what she was about to say. "That's… that's it."

Jack looked at his friend. He was at a loss of words. Luckily, North intervened. "Come, Little Red. We get you some breakfast and then you spend day with Jack," he told her, handing the girl her red cloak, which was hanging on the bed frame.

Eve found herself smiling, and she put on her cloak. "Alright," she agreed. Then she looked at Jack, "What are we going to be doing?" She asked with a smile, her mood completely positive, now.

Jack closed his gaping mouth, and blinked. "Oh, uh…" The winter spirit got off his chair and picked up his staff. "My friend Jamie and his little sister wanted to meet you," Jack explained. "I gave them a snow day, today, so they wouldn't have to go to school. And now I apparently owe them a snowball fight. You wanna join?" Jack asked hesitantly, his heart fluttering when Eve gave him a big smile.

"I'd love to!" She responded, giving Jack a hug. Jack went stiff, his eyes wide and his heart racing. North- and even Tooth- laughed at Jack's expression. "That sounds like so much fun!" Eve exclaimed as she pulled away from the winter spirit. He gave her a smile, letting out a breathy laugh.

"Ah- uh, then I'll be right back. I gotta go finish up with the winter weather and I'll be here in an hour. You go ahead and eat some breakfast," Jack instructed with a smile as he flew out the window, leaving the workshop behind and trying to stop smiling as he soared through the sky. He felt amazing, and full of energy- like he could beat Bunny in a race ten times over.

* * *

After Eve finished having breakfast with North, she went back to her room to wait for Jack. She was incredibly excited to meet Jack's friends. Maybe he could get them to see her? But she wasn't a fairytale like Jack and the other Guardians… she wasn't someone kids could just believe in. She was just… Eve.

Sighing, Eve pushed that thought out of her head. Best to not think about it and just let things play out. Eve went up to a mirror in the guest room, and cringed at her reflection. He hair was in a messy, tangly, knotted mess. Her cheeks went as red as her cloak. Oh no, did _Jack _see her like this?

Traumatized, Eve smoothed out her hair, running her fingers through the knots, pulling them free. She really was a mess, wasn't she? Eve let out a sigh.

"Ready?" A voice asked her, making her jump.

Eve turned to face the white-haired teen that was standing in front of the window, leaning casually on his staff while wearing an amused smirk on his face. Giving him a smile back, Eve looked him over skeptically. "You don't think I'm gonna let you fly us there, right?" She asked jokingly, crossing her arms. Honestly, though, Eve was just putting up an act to mess with the winter spirit. She found that she wouldn't quite mind having Jack hold her close, again.

Jack laughed, and pulled something out from his pocket. "I didn't think so. That's why I swiped this from North's desk," he told her, holding up a snow globe. He whispered, "Burgess," and threw the snow globe to the ground, creating a giant portal in the middle of the room. Jack held out an arm to Eve, a smile on his face. "Shall we?" He asked, making Eve laugh as she walked over to him and looped her arm around his.

"We shall," she responded, and they stepped through the portal, leaving behind the workshop and walking into the lively suburban town of Burgess. They were on the front lawn of a house.

"Jack!" A child's voice called out.

Jack let go of Eve's arm and turned to smile big at the boy that was running to him. "Hey, kiddo!" He greeted his friend with a laugh as they hugged. "Told ya I'd be back!"

A little girl was running towards the winter spirit, as well, her mess of blonde hair covering up part of her face as she giggled. "Jack, Jack!" She called out and hugged the teen, as well.

Eve was smiling big at the display before her. She had seen these kids in the town, before. They seemed incredibly sweet, and she couldn't believe that Jack knew them. "Where's your friend, Jack?" Jamie asked, his brown eyes sweeping the area for anybody else.

Jack's smile broadened, and he kneeled down to Jamie's height. "She's right here, behind me. You can't see her right now, so I need you to believe in her, okay? Just like how you believe in me," he explained to his friend.

Jamie's eyebrows furrowed as he gazed at his friend. "Well, what does she look like? What's her name?" He asked, eager to see the new girl.

At this, Jack froze, looking over at Eve- who was looking at him with a curious glance- and then back to Jamie. "Uh, well, she has blue eyes," he said as he stood up, strolling over to Eve, placing a signature smirk on his face. He placed a hand flat on Eve's head, earning a pout from the raven-haired girl. "She's short," Jack teased as Eve crossed her arms, sticking out her tongue at Jack childishly, making the Guardian of Fun chuckle. "About ye high," he motioned. Then he removed his hand and looked over the girl, feeling himself smile. "She has short black hair…" he continued as he faced Jamie, again. "And she wears a white dress and a red cloak… she's…" he trailed off, glancing back at Eve, who's smile was gone as she stared at her winter friend, again.

"She's what?" Jamie asked.

Jack gave a smile, and rubbed the back of his head as he decided to just spit it out. "Well, she's really pretty," he said, nervously. Eve felt her heart leap, and she went red as she smiled. "Like a princess," he added with a laugh as he looked back at Eve, feeling his throat go tight when he sees that he's made her smile.

"What's her name?" Jamie asked, smiling.

At this, Jack smirked. "Snow White," he told the boy. "Her real name is Eve Dawn, but if you're gonna believe in her, you gotta believe in Snow White… I think that's the only way you'll be able to see her."

"Snow White…?" Jamie asked, eyebrows drawn together.

Sophie was jumping up and down. "Snow White, Snow White! Princess!" She cheered happily, giggling. Then she stopped, and stared at Eve with wide eyes, her mouth dropped open. Jamie was staring at the forest spirit now, as well, his eyes wide and a smile on his face.

"Woah!" He exclaimed. "I see her, Jack! Soph, look! Snow White is real, just like in your book!" He told his little sister, excitedly.

Eve froze. Could they really see her…? There was no way-

Sophie giggled, jumping up and down. "Pretty! Pretty princess!" She yelled as she ran to Eve, hugging her leg.

Eve went stiff, expecting the little girl to go right through her- giving her that terrible cold feeling… but it didn't happen. She was touching her… she could see her… this wasn't a dream. Eve felt tears burn in her eyes, and she smiled, loosening her tense posture, and bending down to the little girl's level. "H-hello, Sophie," she whispered, pulling away to gaze at the little girl.

Sophie giggled, "Hello, Snow White!" She exclaimed happily. Eve smiled and let out a breathy laugh as Jack walked over to the two. A knowing smile was on his face as he watched Eve. He knew exactly what she was feeling, right now. He had experienced the same thing only about a year ago.

Jamie was walking to Eve, now, a smile on his face. "This is so cool!" He said.

Eve laughed and stood up, "It definitely is!" She agreed. "I can hardly believe it, myself."

Jack smiled big, and walked next to Eve, facing Jamie and Sophie. "Are you gonna join our snowball fight?" Jamie asked Eve, excitedly.

"You bet!" Eve exclaimed.

"Awesome! I'm gonna get everyone together. It'll be us against you and Jack!" Jaime said as he ran off to get his friends. "I'll be right back! Watch Soph, Jack!"

"Will do!" Jack called out. Soon, the boy was out of their sight and Sophie was running around Eve, saying "princess" over and over as she pulled on Eve's dress, playfully, and laughed.

Hesitantly, Eve picked up the little girl, still getting used to the fact that she didn't slip right through her. The girl giggled, and wrapped her arms around Eve's neck. Smiling, Eve looked at Jack. "Thankyou, Jack," she said, forcing back tears.

Smiling, Jack ruffled Sophie's hair. "No problem. But, hey, we're gonna have to make a battle plan for this snowball fight. For a bunch of kids, Jamie and his friends are expert snowball snipers."

* * *

The day went by quick, and Eve never wanted it to end. Jamie had brought his other friends, and with another description from both Jack and Jamie, they were all able to see her. Eve couldn't even describe the feeling. It was ecstatic- like nothing she'd ever felt before.

So they had their snowball fight, Eve getting pelted more times than she could count, and Jack getting hit only once, when he was distracted by Cupcake throwing a large mass of snow towards Eve. It was incredibly fun, overall, and Eve's voice was hoarse from laughing and screaming.

Once it was close to sunset, all the kids had to go inside, and Jack promised them that they'd see him and Eve soon. When all the kids were escorted home, Jack and Eve flew to a lake in the forest of Burgess. They were lying in the snow by the lake, now. Eve had brushed off the snow on the ground so she could lie in the grass, and Jack laid down in the snow next to her, completely immune to its incredible temperatures.

Eve was freezing, but she didn't want to go home, so she didn't say a word, and instead cherished the moment. Jack had brought her here to watch the sunset, claiming it was most beautiful from this clearing's view.

"So," Eve spoke as the two teens watched the sunset. "Did you mean it?" She asked, turning her head to look over at the winter spirit. He turned to look at her, his arms crossed behind his head. His cerulean eyes focused on her.

"Mean what?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Eve smiled slyly. "When you said I was pretty. Did you mean it?" she asked her friend, teasingly.

Eve could've sworn Jack's face flushed, but she couldn't be certain, since it was getting rather dark. "Oh. Well, I mean, yeah… you are," he said as he looked back up at the sky.

Eve smiled big. "That's really sweet, Frosty," she teased.

"Ah, shut up, Eve," Jack retorted, giving a smile.

Eve laughed and scooted closer to the winter spirit, leaning to rest her head on his chest. "Thankyou for everything, Jack," she whispered. "Honestly. Thankyou. Today was… amazing. The best day I've ever had," she admitted as she put an arm on his chest to give him a light hug.

Eve could hear Jack's heart speed up in her ear, and Jack put an arm around Eve, pulling her close. She suppressed a shiver from Jack's cold temperature combined with the snow around them. She didn't want Jack to know that she was cold. This moment was too precious.

"Anytime," he responded quietly.

They stayed like that for a while. It wasn't until Eve thought of a question that she had been wanting to ask that the silence was finally broken. "Jack… can I ask you something?" She whispered hesitantly.

"Hmm?" He asked, seeming drowsy.

"It's… well, it's kind of personal," she continued as she sat up. Jack sat up with her, looking at the girl concernedly.

"What is it?" He asked, blue eyes focused on her.

Eve bit her lip as she gazed out at the frozen lake. "How… well, you said you regained your memories through your baby teeth… Did… how did you die?" She asked the last part in a hushed whisper. Then she looked at her friend, curiosity filling her eyes. "Do you remember? Did you find out? She asked.

The Guardian of Fun gazed at Eve, then out at the lake. "It was here, actually. On that lake. I died on that lake," he told her, resting his arms on his legs as he leaned forward.

Eve held in a breath. "…How?" She asked hesitantly.

Jack stared at the lake gravely. "Well… I brought my little sister here to teach her ice skating… I had promised her. So we went onto the lake and well, I thought it was stable, but it wasn't. The center of the lake was too thin. My sister, Pippa… her name was Pippa… she skated to the middle of the lake, and it began to crack. She was stuck… she was completely terrified, I had to do something," Jack began to ramble, running a hand through his hair. He took a breath and continued. "I took off my skates and walked to her to try and save her. I was on weak ice, too, and it began to crack underneath me, as well. I told her we were going to play hopscotch, to make her less scared. So once I hopped towards thicker ice, I tried to get her to do the same.

"Once she was close enough to me, I used my staff," Jack explained as he lifted his staff. "And I hooked it around her, and pulled her to the thick ice, but I pulled myself onto her spot on the thin ice when I did so. She was alive, and I thought everything would be okay. But I stood up and the ice gave out… then I drowned," Jack concluded his story. But then he smiled big, and looked at Eve. "But I saved her. I had a sister and I _saved _her. So… I don't really mind- dying, that is. If it means I saved my sister's life."

Eve gazed at the winter spirit, tears running down her face. She was speechless. Jack had given his life to save his sister. He had lived for three hundred years alone, probably seeing his sister, again, and not knowing who she was because he couldn't remember. It was awful- it wasn't fair. Someone as kind as Jack just _shouldn't die. _

Jack noticed Eve's tears and leaned to her, wiping them away. "Don't be sad! It's a happy story. My sister lived. I became a Guardian. I mean, sure, it took a while for me to become one but it still happened! And then we met!" Jack told her with a smile. "Don't cry, Eve," he begged her. "I really am happy," he reassured her.

But Eve just threw her arms around Jack, catching him by surprise. He hugged her back, pulling her to him. "You're so amazing, Jack… so amazing," she mumbled into his hoodie, pulling away as she smiled at him. "I'm so lucky to have met you," she whispered.

Jack gave a soft smile. Then his eyes turned concerned as he held Eve's face. "Eve, your lips are blue," he observed, panic clear in his eyes.

Eve's eyebrows furrowed. What did he-

Then Eve realized… she didn't feel cold anymore. In fact, she didn't feel anything at all. The cold had left her body, along with any feeling of warmth. A numbness consumed her body, and she was shivering uncontrollably in Jack's grasp… she had hypothermia. "I-uhm… it's just a little cold, that's all," Eve admitted sheepishly. "I'm fine, though-"

"Oi, Frostbite," an Australian-accented voice called out. "Y'aren't supposed to freeze yer girlfriends, ya gumby."

**So I'm gonna take the time to respond to some of my reviewers n_n**

**To TheStoryTeller231 and Pineapple-Sorceress: Thankyou guys so much for always putting such amazing and encouraging reviews practically every time I update! It means a lot and trust me, I read your reviews every time and you two have specifically been the ones to encourage me to keep writing. :3 so thankyou :D**

**To MysticCat: thankyou for the idea of Jack explaining his powers to Eve :3 that scene is all your doing, so credits to you n_n**

**To Downkittydown: Ahhh there may or may not be a kiss in this story! Not sure if I'm gonna make them kiss at the end or just hug dramatically but we'll see ;D**

**To Guest: AHHHH oh my god you're the only one to have noticed that! YES, IT IS A WEDDING DRESS :D kudos to you for pointing that out and yes it does have a BIG hint towards the story and her past life :3 she's not exactly a runaway bride, but kinda, you'll see! n_n I'm impressed with your observation!**

**To FrozenGamer27: Thankyou so much for such a nice review! :'3 it really made me smile and yesh thankyou :DD**

**And honestly just thankyou to everyone! I read every single one of your reviews and it means the world to me that you'd take the time to even bother to write anything to me so yes n_n thankyou so much!**

**New chapter will probably be tomorrow but if not it'll be out in less than a week :D**

**Have a great weekend, my lovelies! **


	11. Chapter 11

"What are _you _doing here, Kangaroo?" The white-haired teen asked, letting go of Eve's face to glare at his unwanted visitor.

The Australian bunny rabbit twitched his nose distastefully as he shot a glare back at the winter spirit. "Trust me, Frosty, I'd rather be at the Warren. North asked me to find you two. 'Es gettin' all frantic about Pitch. Doesn't want you two alone at night," Bunny explained, a dark tone in his voice. "But that's beside the point, righ' now. We gotta get Red somewhere warm, 'fore you freeze 'er to death," Bunny said as he walked to the two teens.

"H-h-how long have you b-been here?" Eve asked the Bunny through chattering teeth, suddenly getting worried. How much did he hear? Did he hear about Jack's death? Did he already know? Eve tried to stand up but she found that she couldn't really use her legs. They were so numb; she couldn't even feel them, anymore. Jack made a move to help her as he stood up, as well, but seemed to hesitate, looking at his hands disappointingly. The look in his eyes… Eve didn't think he could ever look so upset.

"Jus' got 'ere," Bunny answered her as he picked her up. "Crikey!" He hissed, cringing slightly as his paws met her skin. "Yer freezin'!"

Eve took in a sharp breath at Bunny's warmness, and found herself cuddling into his furry chest, greedy for as much warmth as she could get. Her teeth were chattering more fiercely now as she thawed out. "A-a-and, y-y-you-you're s-s-so w-w-warm," she responded, laughing shakily. Her body was shaking out of control, and she couldn't make herself stop. She was suddenly getting really drowsy, but she knew that sleeping would make things worse, so she fought to keep her eyelids open.

"Hang in there, Sheila," the pooka comforted her, rubbing his paws against her in an attempt to thaw her ice-cold limbs.

Eve just hummed, unable to really work her brain enough to form proper words at this point.

She heard Bunny tap his foot, twice, and could barely see the hole that formed by his feet. "Y'comin', Frost?" He asked the winter Guardian, sending a look towards the boy.

"I… I think I'm just gonna take the Wind there… I'll see you guys at the Workshop," Jack said, quietly. Eve heard- and felt- a gust of wind, and then it was silent.

"Hold on, Red," Bunny instructed her as he jumped into the hole, leading them through a tunnel quickly, completely agile in his territory. But Eve's muscles ached, screaming to be stretched and moved. She found that she could no longer stay awake as she slowly let her body and mind slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

_She was lying in the cold snow, blood pooling around her. She couldn't move- couldn't do anything but lie down there, waiting for death to take her away. Please, don't let them find him. Let him escape. _

_The girl almost wished that she had died instantly. It would be so much less painful… so much easier. She moaned in pain as she tried to move. She had to get to him. She had to make sure he was safe. He was all she had. _

_Her body ached in protest, and kept her on the ground. The only parts of her body she could move were her fingertips. Everything else seemed paralyzed. A gunshot rang in the air, and she heard a scream._

_Why? Why so many gunshots? Why so much screaming? Why so much never-ending _pain_?_

_She tried to yell out for help, tried to get up and save him. But he was too far away. And she was very much dying. Although she couldn't move, she could still cry. And cry she did. She let out all her tears, sobbing as her vision went dimmer… and dimmer._

_A fluttering of wings sounded beside her, and a hand held hers. "Eve… Eve, hold on, Sweetie. I- I'm going to get some help," the woman's voice called to her, shaky, filled with stifled sobs._

_Eve managed to grasp onto the woman's hand, stopping the woman from her departure. "No… no, it's too late. Please, don't go. Stay here… stay here… I'm so scared. I need you here. Just until it's over," Eve whimpered, her voice barely that of a whisper. "Protect him. Find Matthew. Protect him, please. I need you to do this for me," Eve begged, giving the woman her last wish._

_Pain- so much pain. Her skull reverberated with a sharp headache. She could feel her veins being drained of blood as it pooled around her, failing to slow, failing to cease. Everything was so painful… she wanted to sleep. She didn't want to go on._

_She heard the lady sob, could feel her shaking as she gripped Eve's hand. "Yes… yes, I will. I promise you I will," the lady obliged, continuing to sob._

_Eve wanted to see her- wanted to look at her one last time. But her vision was mostly dark, now. Her eyes stopped seeing. Eve hid her panic as she offered her friend a weak smile. "Th…ank-you… thank-you, Toothiana," she whispered._

_And the last of her breath drew out of her lungs._

* * *

Jack watched from the other side of the room as Eve laid in bed, North, Bunny, Sandy, and Tooth piling blankets upon blankets on the girl's fragile body. The fireplace was roaring with its incredible amount of fuel, and the room was warm to a point that was uncomfortable for the winter spirit. But he stayed. He didn't want to leave her side, even though he knew she'd probably recover faster if he did.

This was all his fault. He had been careless, he hadn't even thought about Eve's well-being. He was just so excited about spending the day with her… he felt happy whenever they touched. And at that moment at the lake, when Eve laid her head on his chest… he was so happy that he hadn't even noticed the absence of her body-warmth, too focused on the heat that was pooling in his stomach. He should have noticed. He should have thought about it.

Eve is a forest spirit. She lives for the springtime. Jack was a winter spirit. He lives for the cold.

There couldn't be a bigger contrast between them.

Jack bit his lip as he gazed at his friend. He wanted to help. In fact, he had tried to, earlier. He had volunteered to get her some medicine, or blankets, or anything she needed at all. But when he made a move to help out, the Guardians stopped him, giving him a look that downright said "no". And Jack felt even more disappointed than before. Because he knew that he would only make things worse. He knew that he would only hurt her more.

Once things had settled down, North sat back in a chair, Sandy floating by Eve's bedside. Eve looked a sickly shade of blue, her lips tinted lightly with the color. But her skin was slowly going back to its healthy state, and Eve's shivering went down considerably. Tooth was now taking over watching the forest spirit, and Jack felt jealous, wishing he could help out, too. Bunny turned to Jack, an upset and angry look clear upon his face.

"What were ya _thinkin'_, mate?" The Bunny asked as he walked over to the winter spirit, towering over the boy as he looked down at him. "Hones'ly, what were ya _thinkin'_?" He repeated, bewildered.

Jack felt his shoulders slump at Bunny's words. "I… I don't know. That's the thing… I wasn't," he murmured, his feet shuffling.

"Well ya coulda killed the girl! A couple more minutes and she woulda been frozen to _death_, ya dill!" Bunny let out a rough breath of air, running a paw over his face as he tried to calm himself down. "Jack, she's not like you. Ya gotta understand that. The winter doesn't suit 'er. It drains 'er powers. It makes 'er weak. She's lucky she's alive righ' now," Bunny explained as he gestured a paw to the bed, looking at the winter spirit intensely, his green eyes slightly harsh.

Jack felt his throat go tight- but not in a good way, this time. Swallowing hard, Jack took a deep breath through his nose, and faced Bunnymund. His eyes were set, unwavering as he stared down the Guardian of Hope. "I would've gotten her out in time-"

"_No, _ya wouldn't! Ya see, Frost, that's yer problem! Ya always think that y'don't need anybody's help! Ya always think y've got everythin' under control! Not once d'ya think about the well-bein' of others! Yer too blinded by yer pride! And it almost _killed _somebody, this time! Hones'ly, I'd really like to know what you were thinkin', mate. Because it sure as hell wasn' anythin' clever," Bunny lectured, trying to get his point across to the young Guardian. Jack was biting his lip, hard, still staring down the older Guardian. "Didn't ya even think to give 'er a coat? A jacket, mittens, whatever! Y'always make sure Jamie and Sophie are all bundled up b'fore they go playin' around in yer bloody snow days! Jus' 'cause Eve's immortal, doesn' mean she can't die, Jack! It just means she can't age, ya drongo!" Bunny ranted.

Jack's jaw was set, and he puffed out his chest, enraged. Who did Bunny think he was? He couldn't yell at him like that. He gripped onto his staff until his knuckles were white, and tapped it roughly to the ground, sending a layer of frost around the rabbit. "Alright, Peter Cottontail, calm down," Jack hissed, his voice ice cold and bitter. "She's alive. She's here and she's okay-"

"No thanks to you, mate," Bunny growled, his voice low as he leaned towards the winter spirit, until they were face-to-face. Jack felt his heart drop, and an awful cold seep through his insides.

"Bunny! Stop it, now!" Tooth called, flying over to the fighting Guardians. North and Sandy were watching from Eve's bedside, wary looks on their faces.

"No," Jack retorted, backing away from the pooka. "No, he's right. It is no thanks to me. It'd be better if I just left," Jack mumbled, gripping tighter onto his staff. "I make a mess wherever I go, after all," Jack said with a glare at Bunnymund.

"Jack?" A girl's voice called softly.

* * *

Eve felt the darkness release her as she came back to the world. She knew she had a nightmare, but she couldn't remember it. But the empty cold of fear still filled her. Taking a shuddering breath, Eve opened her eyes and realized she was in North's workshop, back in the guest room. She could hear an argument take place beside her, and then silence… then Jack's voice.

"-be better if I just left." She heard the teen say, coldly. "I make a mess wherever I go, after all."

Feeling panicked, Eve turned her head to the side to look for her friend. "Jack?" She called to him when she saw him standing with Bunnymund and Tooth, glaring at the tall pooka. Jack turned his attention to Eve, and began to walk to her- but stopped, suddenly. A pained expression was on his face as he gripped onto his staff tight, clutching it against his chest.

He hesitated before smiling, slightly. "Hey, Eve," he greeted her. "How you feelin'?" He asked, not moving from his spot far away from her, even though he looked like he was trying so hard not to come over to her and hug her.

Eve blinked. "I-I'm fine… I'm okay… just sore… just cold," she slurred, her eyelids drooping before she forced them open. The look on Jack's face made her eyebrows draw together in confusion. He seemed so guilty, so upset. He looked as if he were about to run away any second. "Jack," Eve mumbled as she weakly reached out a hand to him. "Jack… come 'ere. Whas' wrong?" She asked.

But Jack shifted in his spot, looking down and then back at his friend. "No, I- sorry, Eve. I can't come closer. I'll hurt you, again," he told her in a hushed tone, his voice filled with so much pain that Eve felt her heart sink.

"Wha… what're you talkin' about?" Eve asked as she tried to sit up. North ushered her back down.

"Stay put, Little Red. You are still too weak," he told her softly.

But Eve didn't listen, she still tried to move, and felt a sharp pain in her muscles, making her draw in a sharp breath of pain as she moaned, curling in on herself. "Frostbite, y'gotta go. _Now,_" Eve heard Bunnymund demand. "Yer gonna make 'er hurt herself," the pooka said as he walked over to the girl.

Eve looked up at the winter spirit, her eyes wide. "No!" She called to him, trying to reach out to him, again. "Jack, stay! I'm fine. Jus' sore. S'okay," she mumbled, looking to her friend, desperately.

Jack backed away a step as Bunnymund drew up Eve's blankets higher, trying to cover her more. "It's not okay, Eve," Jack said, looking into Eve's eyes pleadingly, as if her begging was literally causing him pain. "No- I'm sorry. He- Bunny's right. I gotta go," Jack apologized as he gave Eve one last look, before darting out the room, flying out a window in the hallway. The temperature of the room grew considerably higher, and although it made Eve's body feel better, she'd take having her friend by her side, instead.

Eve tried to get up- tried to chase after her friend, but Bunny and North ushered her down. "Y'gotta recover, Sheila," Bunny instructed. "Yer still freezin'," He pointed out.

"Wha' happ'nd?" Eve slurred, unable to think straight. "Where is he goin'? We havta go get 'im!" Eve said as she tried to get up, again.

"Sandy," North sighed warily as he looked at his companion.

The Sandman nodded and walked to Eve, a gentle smile on his face as he put "Z" symbols over his head, and sprinkled some golden sand onto the girl.

Eve couldn't fight the sleep that came, and let it take her.

* * *

Jack was soaring through the sky, relishing in the cold wind that whipped at his face, ridding him of the awful heat in the guest room. It wasn't just the fireplace that heated the room, but also Bunny and his argument. It enraged him, made him feel powerless and pitiful.

Holding back his troubling thoughts, Jack flew faster through the sky, trying to make it to his lake… to his real home. Jack resisted the urge to vomit as he thought of Bunnymund watching over Eve, taking care of her, talking to her, touching her and making her laugh and smile as he helped her recover. Why couldn't that be him? Why must he make a mess of everything?

It was just like what Pitch said. Jack made a mess wherever he went.

Enraged, Jack stopped in midair and yelled as he let out a giant gust of wind, snow, and ice- freezing over the already frozen Northern-Canadian empty land. Panting, Jack flew faster, eager to reach his lake. He needed to put distance between the workshop and himself.

When he arrived at the lake, he only felt worse. Only a few hours ago, he was lying in the snow with Eve, right here… right at this spot.

Why hadn't she said anything? She must have been freezing! Why didn't she tell him? Jack felt himself blush with embarrassment at not even noticing or thinking about how cold she must've been. He was too distracted… she made him like that, a lot… distracted, that is. It's only been a couple of days since he met her, and yet she still had such a strong impact on him.

It's only been a couple of days, and he's already almost gotten her killed.

Sighing, Jack rested on a tall oak tree overlooking the lake, staring at the half moon in the sky… his old friend….

Jack laid back in the tree, trying to take his mind off of what he had done. He tried to help! This wasn't his fault! He tried to help her heal, too, but the Guardians pushed him away! They told him he'd make it worse… he tried to help….

What if Eve had died? A few more minutes of Jack's embrace, and she would've. But what would he have done? Would he really have gotten her somewhere warm on time? Would he have listened to her when she said she was fine? But what if she did die? What if he could never see her smile, again? What if he were the reason she was gone forever?

Jack ruffled his hair, irritated. He needed to stop thinking. He needed to relax. He would stay away from Eve, for a while… as long as he can…. Let her recover. But when he sees her, again, he'll be more careful. He'll make sure she's okay. He'll make sure he never hurts her, again.

And he would not let himself touch her.

… **sorry for such an emotionally crushing chapter… I just had the idea, and I reallyyyy wanted to put it into the story. I'm awful, I know n_n **

**So woaahhhh woah woah two chapters in one day?:D it's a miracle ;D **

**But no this chapter was just really easy for me to write, so I decided to write it down right away and post it n_n why the heck not, y'know? Also I don't have a life :3**

**Sooooo yes. The next chapter will be both lighter and longer! But sadly Jack will not really be in it. But Bunny and the other guardians will! And it'll be a good chapter, I promise! I won't be able to post it for a while, I don't think. I'm really busy with school stuff. But hey, I posted two chappies in one day, so you guys cant hate me!**

**Anyways, thankyou so much for the reviews on the last chapter :'3 they literally made me tear up, you guys are so sweet. **

**Until next time, please review!**

**Goodbye my dearies ~**


	12. Chapter 12

**Ahhhh I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long! I'm just having a hard time with this chappie and it's just been really tough for me to write, I had no inspiration for it :/ I just really want to get to the good part and stuff because I'm excited for the ending of this story. **

**Basically I'm just going through major writers block. But I am going to sit myself down right now and write down this chapter and get it over with! So yes! Let's see how that goes…**

* * *

When Eve came to, there was finally no more pain.

The raven-haired girl opened her eyes to see that she was still in North's workshop. She was lying in her bed in one of the many guest rooms. Breathing in deeply, Eve realized that her body was blissfully warm, and her muscles no longer ached. The last thing she remembered was Jack leaving in a rush after what seemed like some kind of argument with Bunny.

Eve's room was filled with light that warmed her just as much as the fire in the large fireplace. Sitting up slowly, Eve looked around the room and jumped slightly when she saw Bunny sleeping in a wooden chair in the room.

"Bunny?" She called out to the snoozing pooka. His ears twitched and his eyes blinked open. "Bunny, where is everyone? What happened?" Eve asked, looking around the empty room.

Yawning, Bunnymund sat up in his seat and stretched. "Ah, look at who's finally awake. Y'gave us quite a scare, Red," Bunnymund told her, his voice thick with sleep.

Jack. Where was Jack? He had seemed so upset when he had taken off. What happened? "Where's Jack?" Eve asked.

Bunnymund looked at Eve carefully. "'E was just 'ere, mate. Came t'check up on ya. 'E's gone now, though."

Eve blinked, trying to gather her thoughts together. Licking her dry lips, Eve looked around the room again. "Bunny… how long have I been out?" Eve asked him, feeling paranoid.

"About five days. The cold really drained out 'yer powers. Weakened ya. We almost lost 'ya, Red," Bunny explained.

Eve felt her insides go cold. Five days… all from the cold? "Is that why Jack was upset?" Eve whispered, looking at Bunny, who was stiff now. "It wasn't his fault! It was mine, I was cold but I didn't say anything because-" Eve cut herself off, feeling a light blush warm her cheeks. "Because I wanted to spend more time with him. I didn't mean for this to happen," she explained.

Bunny took a deep breath and looked away. "Y'know, Frost cares a lot 'bout ya. 'E wouldn't come close t'ya when you were recovering. 'Was afraid 'ed get 'ya sick, again," Bunny told her. He sighed, seeming to struggle with wording what he was about to say. "I thought 'e was being reckless. I blamed him for it all. I'm not happy with 'im, that's for sure. But… I think 'es afraid of being near you. 'Es afraid of hurting you."

Eve looked at the Easter Bunny. "It's not your fault. Thankyou… for taking care of me. But I don't want any of you to blame yourselves. This was _me _being reckless. I'll be more careful in the future, I promise."

Bunnymund gazed at Eve, then gave her a smile. "Ah, what matters is that yer alright. We just gotta keep you safe. Speaking of which," Bunny began as he stood up, adjusting his weapon belt. "North wanted me to watch you for the day, but I don't know how long I can stand it in this place. Need to be somewhere warmer," he said as he walked over to Eve, kneeling in front of her as he looked her in the eyes. "So you like spring, eh Sheila?" He asked her, a smirk on his face.

Eve smiled, nodding. "Yes!" She responded enthusiastically at the mention of the season.

"Well then, I got a surprise for 'ya. It's somewhere very special. Y'think yer well enough to come along?" Bunny asked the girl.

Eve nodded fast, getting out of the bed and pulling on her cloak, which was lying on the bed. "Where are we going?" Eve asked as she stood by Bunny, looking up at him.

At that, Bunny tapped his foot twice, creating a large tunnel.

They plummeted through it.

* * *

Eve reclined in the grass as she painted another blank egg. She was letting the warm sun bathe her in its light as she felt a rush of power coarse through her body. Eve had discarded her cloak the moment they reached the warren, and it was bundled up by her side, next to the twenty eggs that she had painted intricately. "I love it here," she said to Bunny, who was leaning against a tree, painting an egg with expertise.

Eve could hear the smile in Bunny's voice as he said, "Yea, I thought y'would. Well, feel free to visit anytime. I could do with the company. And yer not too bad at egg paintin'," he added with a chuckle.

Sitting up, Eve looked at the Bunny. "Do you paint eggs all year?" Eve asked, setting down her finished egg and picking up another one that waddled by her, making its odd clicking noises. Eve stroked the hyper egg to calm it down before she began painting it. The egg shivered at the touch of her paintbrush, and seemed to giggle. Ah, another ticklish one.

"Pretty much. I mean, I gotta make millions of eggs. It takes a while. Don' really get much free time," Bunny mumbled as he focused on the egg he was painting.

Eve nodded, even though he wasn't looking. "So you do this every day? Ever year, for hundreds of years? Don't you ever… get bored of it? I mean, the same goes for all of you. It can't be to fun to do the same thing every day for hundreds of years!" Eve exclaimed as Bunny chuckled, again.

"Not when y'love what ya do. It's… fun for us. When you enjoy it, you really don't think about the work. Y'just… do it. And the children… they're the reason we do all this. We care about them, we guard them. Each of our jobs are important… even…" Bunny glanced at Eve. "Even Frostbite's. And I guess that's what bein' a Guardian is about. Protecting kids. Keepin' them happy. Bringin' them hope, wonder, memories, dreams… and fun." Bunny looked into Eve's eyes.

Eve smiled. It seemed lovely to be a Guardian… they all had a purpose… something to live for… how Eve had gone about three hundred years without meeting the Guardians, she had no idea. Eve went back to painting her egg, and all was silent for a few more minutes as the two focused on painting. "Bunny?" Eve asked, breaking the silence again. When the Bunny looked at her, Eve gave him a warm smile. "Thank you. For everything."

Bunnymund smiled back. "Yer welcome, Sheila."

* * *

Jack's mouth fell open at North's news. "She's at the _Warren_? With _Bunny_?" Jack exclaimed.

North chuckled at the boy's reaction as he painted a dollhouse he was working on. It was for a little girl that had requested a very specific house for her new doll. Jenna was the little girl's name… North remembered her specifically, because she's been on the nice list for her whole life. He had never seen her do anything wrong. Christmas was two days away, and North wanted to personally make sure this dollhouse was perfect. "She is helping him paint eggs, I believe. They left Pole hours ago," North informed the white-haired teen.

Jack bit his lip, trying hard not to show how upset he was. Well, the Warren _was _warm… and it'd be best for Eve to be with Bunny, rather than with Jack. He needed to remind himself to keep away from her. Still, though, Jack wanted to see her awake… wanted to talk to her and apologize… would she even want to talk to him? He had almost gotten her killed. "Thanks, North. I-I'm glad she's at the Warren… it's better for her there, I guess… Uhm, tell her I say hi, alright?" Jack asked the Russian man as he gripped onto his staff, walking backwards as he prepared to take off.

"Where are you going?" North asked as he got up from his seat and stepped forward, dropping his brush on the wooden desk. "Aren't you going to wait for them to return?" North questioned the winter spirit. "They should be arriving soon."

Jack gave the Guardian of Wonder a forced smile. "Nah, uhm, I've got a lot of winter weather to catch up on, y'know? I'm just really busy. But I'll be back soon," Jack informed his superior as he flew to a window. "See ya, North!" He called, darting out the window before the Russian had time to think of a reply.

Sighing, North sat at his desk, and resumed painting. Jack needed to know… he had to tell him. But how would he take the news? What would he tell Eve? No, Jack couldn't know the truth. It would put them all in danger.

But when? When will they be able to tell Eve? Or will she never know? Once they retrieved her memories, would they tell her? Tooth, Sandman, Bunny, North, they all knew. She deserved to know, too….

No. Tooth said that Eve could not find out. There was no way that the Guardians would let her down. Tooth is just doing the right thing.

Eve can never find out that they all know how she died. Eve can never find out that the Guardians know what happened to her little brother.

* * *

Pitch chuckled at the news received from his fearlings. Ah, so Eve was growing close to the Guardians, was she? Fine, let her. It'll just make his job easier.

Once she finds out that her new little friends were betraying her, she'd beg Pitch to destroy them. She would join him easily. And the closer she gets to them, the more pain there will be. The more _fear_.

Oh, how he _loved _fear.

"Just wait, Eve Dawn. Your time is drawing nearer…" Pitch whispered as he sent off his fearlings to go "visit" the girl. "Show her, my beautiful little nightmares. Show her the _truth_. Let her never feel the comfort of sleep, again! Because soon, she shall be ours! And the Guardians will _die_!" Pitch commanded his fearlings, chuckling maniacally.

His revenge was finally beginning.

And _my_, how sweet it tasted.

* * *

**Yeahhh so I expected this chapter to be longer… but on the Brightside I will be updating again this Easter Sunday! n_n woop woop! Two updates in one weekend!  
But yes. I'm sorry for being gone for so long, and I will work harder to make this story better! I promise! I'm just recovering from writers block, as this chapter obviously shows.**

**But yes. I do know this is one of my weaker chapters, so I will work EXTRA hard to make the rest of the story flawless and amazing for you all!  
Thankyou all for everything! Expect an update VERY SOON! **

**Goodbye, my dearies~**


	13. Chapter 13

After Eve had painted almost one hundred Easter eggs (Eve had lost count, for she was having far too much fun painting with Bunnymund to keep track), Bunny and Eve celebrated with a refreshing cup of carrot juice, and decided that they should head back to the other Guardians. After picking up her discarded red cloak, Bunnymund led the raven-haired girl through one of his tunnels, back to North.

When Eve arrived back at the Pole with Bunny, North had insisted that she spent another night at the workshop. Eve declined, though, thanking North but telling him that she needed to head back home, and that she had overstayed her welcome at the Pole. Eve thanked the Guardians for all their help, and told them she would visit as much as she could (a promise she intended to keep, for she was always feeling rather lonely). In fact, with Christmas only five days away, North invited her to help him out on Christmas Eve. The burly Russian explained to her that he would need as much help as he could get, and that Eve was more than welcome at the Pole whenever she pleased. He had even invited Eve to the Guardian's Christmas Party! Eve was excited to help out and have fun, and agreed without hesitation. It'd be the first Christmas that Eve would not be alone! She must spend the next few days finding presents….

So, after North tried to convince her to stay once again- and after Eve declined politely for the second time, Eve told North she would be alright, for he seemed worried. With a reassuring smile, Eve gratefully accepted the transporting snow globe North handed her, and returned back to her cozy home.

Once she was at the front door of her cottage, Eve had to suppress the feeling of loneliness at the sight of the dark forest, and isolated wooden home. The red-cloaked girl opened her door, and stepped inside. Nothing had changed since the days she had been gone. Her bed was still messy from when she had been healing Jack on it, and there were still two empty bowls of long ago eaten vegetable stew. Sighing, Eve washed and put away the wooden bowls, and started up a fire in her stone fireplace. Drawing up a chair in front of the stone hearth, Eve sat down, and gazed into the flames.

Once again, a feeling of loneliness consumed her.

Eve almost had to remind herself that her adventure had not been a dream. She really had met people just like her. She really had met the Guardians!

In order to distract herself from her unwanted thoughts, Eve tried to figure out what she would get the Guardians for Christmas. She knew that she had only just met them, but they were her only friends, and they meant far more to her than she could ever mean to them. She didn't expect them to get her anything, and she really didn't mind! Their friendship was the best present that Eve could ever ask for!

Their presents would have to be special… something that isn't store-bought.

A smile made its way to Eve's face as she found out what she'd make.

It wasn't the nicest present, but it'd be very special, and it would be made by her hands. Eve only hoped that her new friends would like it.

Eve had many nightmares on the days that she stayed at her cottage. They were all pretty much the same… all the nightmares were of falling… falling down a never ending cliff. The last nightmare was the worst, though. It was of screaming. Screaming and pain and so much loss. But whenever Eve woke up, she'd forget the details, but remember the fear. Yes, the fear always stuck with her.

When Eve found herself awake and alone in the peak of the night, when the moon hung high in the sky, slowly growing bigger, she would work on the Christmas presents until morning came. She worked on those presents every second that she could. Once while staying at her cottage, she got a visit from Bunnymund. After being invited in by Eve, he kept her company for one afternoon as Eve made a hearty vegetable stew (with extra carrots). Eve had been sure to hide the presents, for they were almost done. Christmas Eve was the next day, and Bunny had stopped by to check on her, for Eve had not contacted the Guardians since she had gone back home. Eve was rather startled by the Guardian's care for her well-being, and reassured Bunny that she was alright, and that she would definitely be helping out at the Pole on Christmas Eve, and staying the night for Christmas the next day.

After they chatted, Bunny took off, telling Eve he'd pick her up and bring her to the Pole tomorrow morning. Once he left, Eve worked on the presents nonstop, until they were all finished.

Eve was rather proud of her gifts she had made, and headed to a supermarket in Burgess to swipe some wrapping paper. She wrapped up each gift individually, with specific types of wrapping paper, and finally rested her head to catch up on much needed sleep.

* * *

Eve Dawn's sleep was interrupted after an hour, when a knock on her door sounded. With a sleepy moan, Eve realized that she had fallen asleep at seven in the morning. "Coming!" She called out as she forced herself out of bed, grabbing her cloak and heading to the door of her cottage.

What the forest spirit did not expect was the Guardian of Fun, waiting at her door as he leaned against his ever so familiar staff, a cheerful smirk on his face. "Good morning, Ms. Dawn," Jack said with a bow.

With a huge smile and laugh, Eve's hands covered her heart in surprise. "Jack!" She exclaimed as her friend straightened up, smiling wider at her reaction. "I haven't seen you in almost two weeks!" Eve remarked, making a sudden movement to her friend to give him a hug. He seemed to back away slightly, a worried look on his face, causing Eve's smile to fall as her arms dropped to her side from her rejected hug.

Quickly recovering, Jack smiled and pulled something from his hoodie pocket. "Ah, sorry. Didn't mean to back off so suddenly. Uhm, I was going to give you this tomorrow, you know, for Christmas. But I think if you're going to be around me for a while that you'll kind of need it now," Jack explained as he handed Eve a wrapped present.

Feeling her heart accelerate, Eve clamped her mouth shut, which had been gaping in shock at the sight of the gift. Eve had never gotten a gift, before…. With trembling hands, Eve accepted the gift from the winter spirit- who was being very careful to make sure their hands didn't touch.

Holding the lumpy present wrapped in brilliant red wrapping paper, tied with a gold bow, Eve licked her dry lips, and swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall. Eve looked into her friend's eyes, and smiled big. "Thankyou, Jack," she whispered as the winter spirit looked back at her, an unsure look in his eyes.

Giving a nervous chuckle, Jack said, "Well, you gotta open it before you thank me, Eve."

Feeling herself blush slightly, Eve pulled at the bow with shaky fingers, undoing the beautiful silky gold ribbon. Next, Eve unwrapped the red wrapping paper to reveal a soft, wooly fabric. As she stored the carefully folded wrapping paper and bow in her cloak pocket, Eve lifted her gift in front of her to look at it.

It was a Christmas sweater, with forest animals and green trees on it. The sweater itself was red, and had white snowflake patterns on it. The sweater had a frilly white collar, and it looked incredibly warm and comfortable. Eve noticed with a smile that along with the animals on the front of the sweater, there appeared to be a girl tending to them. Eve was awestruck… it was beautiful. It was thoughtful, it was sweet and warm and just-

Eve saw Jack shuffle awkwardly in front of her. "Ah, uhm, I'm sorry. I know, I'm sorry, it's not that great. Uh, I can get you something else, you don't have to wear it if you don't like it-"

"Jack?" Eve whispered, breathlessly.

After a little hesitation. "Yeah?"

"Stop talking," Eve said, a smile on her face as she removed her cloak (which she handed to Jack) and put on the sweater, a laugh escaping from her lips. "I _love _it!" Eve told her friend as she gave him a big hug, feeling him go tense at her touch. Hesitantly, and very slowly, Jack hugged her back, drawing her to him as he rested his cold cheek on the top of her head. Eve relished in the feel of Jack's cold arms and chest, missing the familiar cold. After a few moments of silence, Eve tightened her arms around her friend and whispered, "I missed you, Jack."

Jack pulled away slightly, and smiled at his friend as he fastened her cloak around her, over her new sweater, which was so big that it went halfway down her thighs, over her silky dress. She looked rather silly, but she honestly didn't mind. She loved her sweater more than anything. "I missed you, too," Jack responded, giving her arms a squeeze and then letting go, putting a little bit of space between them. Twirling his staff, Jack put on his confident posture. "So I'm going to be taking you to the Pole, today. Bunny's… busy," Jack said with a smirk.

Deciding it was best not to ask, Eve suddenly perked up. "Sounds good! Just give me one second! I need to grab something!" She told her friend as she rushed back into her cottage, retrieving her cloth backpack that she had stored all the presents in. Double checking to make sure all the presents were there, Eve slung the backpack on her shoulders, and headed out the cottage to the waiting winter spirit.

Jack eyed the backpack with a smirk. "Hmm… I'm not gonna ask," he decided as he pulled a snow globe from his pocket. With a laugh, Eve looped her arm through her friend's, and Jack whispered into the snow globe before smashing it on the forest ground.

They walked through the portal and into the workshop.

* * *

Once they arrived at the workshop, a jolly North greeted them. "Jack! Eve! Ah, it is nice to see you two together yet again! And what a lovely sweater, Little Red! It suits you, no? Very lovely, indeed!" The Russian exclaimed.

Fighting the blush that she felt making its way up to her cheeks, Eve smiled, and unhooked her arm from Jack's. "It is," she agreed, making the winter spirit smile next to her. "So, North, what can we help with?" Eve asked, fighting to not bounce with anticipation. She had been waiting for this day.

Smiling, North beckoned to the two teens. "Come, I show you!"

They followed North into the toy room. There were dozens of yetis, all working vigorously on last minute Christmas presents. Over in one side of the giant room, there were stacks upon stacks of giant grey sacks. These sacks were empty, but all seemed to have labels on them.

"You will help yetis sort toys into sacks according to place toys will be delivered," North explained, picking up a wrapped box from a table labeled "Switzerland". "Tables have been labeled according to country, state, etcetera. Be very careful to make sure wrapped gifts go to right sack. We must not mix up toys, no matter what," North warned.

Eve smiled. "Will do, sir!" She exclaimed as she saluted him, playfully. The Guardian of Wonder smiled, and ruffled the girl's short hair.

"We'll get it done, North," Jack reassured, earning a pat on the back from his fellow Guardian.

"I know I can count on you two," North said with a smile. "Now, I must go prepare for tonight. I will be back in few hours. Good luck!" North exclaimed as he took off, expertly walking through the elves that were scampering about the room.

Eve felt a nudge on her arm, and turned to look at Jack. He was looking at her mischievously, a playful smirk on his lips and a sly sparkle in his blue eyes. "You want to make a bet?" Jack asked, excitement in his voice.

Eve found herself smirking, as well. "Depends, Frosty. What is it?" She asked, trying to hide her intense curiosity.

The winter spirit straightened up and smiled big. "A bet to see who can put away the most presents. The winner gets to give the loser a dare. Whatever he or she wants," Jack explained, twirling his staff as he looked at his friend, expectantly. "What do you say?" He asked as he extended out a cold hand.

Smiling slyly, Eve took his hand, and shook it. "You're on, Frost. Prepare for defeat."

"In your dreams, Dawn," Jack said, leaning forward as he stared intensely into her eyes, his own blue orbs filled with determination.

And at that, Jack grabbed a handful of gifts, and took off flying to the sacks, somehow managing to carry his staff at the same time. Determined not to waste any time, Eve grabbed a pile of presents from a section labeled "South Africa", and flew as fast as she could to the sacks.

"Seven!" Jack called out as he flew back to the present table.

Feeling adrenaline course through her, Eve landed and searched through the sacks, looking for the one labeled "South Africa". Once she found it, she stuffed the nine gifts that she was carrying into it, stepping aside as a yeti stuffed some more gifts into the same sack.

"Nine!" She called out to the winter spirit as she headed back to the tables, as well, grabbing six more gifts, and continuing.

"Twelve!" Jack shouted.

"Fifteen!" Eve retorted.

This went on for hours, and the yetis seemed to watch the competing spirits, awestruck at the speed they were going. After what seemed like seven hours of nonstop work, the tables were over halfway empty. Eve had taken off her sweater, backpack, and cloak, and had laid them all on a chair. Jack had even taken off his hoodie, revealing a navy blue v-neck t-shirt underneath. His hoodie was laid messily by Eve's possessions, and the two continued to work at their fast pace, growing warmer and warmer from the effort they were exerting.

"Eight hundred and ninety nine!" Jack shouted.

"Nine hundred and one!" Eve shouted, triumphantly.

"Nine hundred and twelve!"

After four more hours, the tables were nearly empty.

"Two thousand and sixty eight!" The winter spirit called, warily.

"Two thousand and forty two!" Eve panted.

At that moment, there were ten more gifts left. Eve was exhausted, and she knew she was defeated. She was twenty presents behind. There was no way she'd catch up. Eve let the yetis take the last of the presents, and Eve slumped on the floor, leaning against a table as she caught her breath. They had been working for eleven hours, hauling thousands of presents into sacks. The yetis had also been working very hard, and of course managed to put away more presents than Eve and Jack combined, since they were larger in numbers, strength, and stamina.

Eve felt a cold presence in front of her, and saw Jack crouching, resting his arms on his legs as he leaned forward, looking at Eve with a smirk on his face.

"Say it," he demanded.

Scrunching up her nose, Eve locked eyes with the winter spirit, and tried not to let her gaze wander to his bare, muscled arms. "Say what?" She asked, playing dumb.

Lifting up his head, Jack pouted. "Oh, I don't know. I was kind of hoping for something along the lines of 'Jack is the winner and I have been defeated!'" Jack exclaimed with a chuckle at Eve's expression.

Rolling her eyes, Eve looked at the winter spirit once again. "Alright. I lost, you won. What's your dare?" She asked, dreading what he might come up with.

Standing up on his feet, Jack extended a hand to Eve. She took it, and he pulled her up, holding onto her hand as he looked into her eyes with a smirk. "Go ice skating with me. The day after Christmas, in the afternoon," Jack said as he observed Eve's reaction.

Feeling a breath of relief exit her lungs, Eve tried not to blush under Jack's gaze. That was the dare? Heck, Eve would go to Antarctica and get frostbite as long as she was with Jack. Why had he chosen something so simple? Maybe so that she won't back out… Blinking, Eve smiled. "Alright. It's a date," she said with a sly look as she noticed Jack blush slightly.

Before he could respond, North's voice boomed through the toy room. "Ah, wonderful! Excellent job, you two!" The Guardian of Wonder exclaimed. Letting go of Jack's hand, Eve turned to face the older Guardian. He was flanked by Toothiana, Bunnymund, and the Sandman. "Now I must go and deliver gifts!" North explained as he smiled at his companions. "Toothiana, take everyone to living room, yes? You will all relax and take break until I arrive. Then we have party!" North exclaimed as he clapped Bunnymund and Tooth on the back. Both the Guardians stumbled forward slightly (well, Tooth was flying, so she hovered forward), and they smiled at their superior.

"Alright, North!" Tooth exclaimed, seeming cheery. "Good luck! We'll see you soon," she bid her friend farewell.

After they all said their goodbyes to the burly Russian, the rest of the Guardians and Eve headed to the living room (after Eve and Jack retrieved their things from the chair in the toy room). When they made their way to the living room, they all sat down and chatted excitedly. Eve sat next to Jack on the big plush couch, Sandy on her other side, snoozing off every now and then.

Eve ate more cookies than she could care to remember, and filled her stomach with mug after mug of eggnog. The night waned on, and Eve tried not to snooze off, as well. It was then that she remembered how sleep deprived she was.

Jack noticed Eve's sleepiness, and turned to face her from his position on her left. "Eve, you look really tired," he observed as Eve blinked her dry eyes.

Eve smiled slightly. "I'm just a little drowsy. Too much eggnog, I guess," Eve said with a laugh.

But the Guardians didn't drop the subject. "Sweet Tooth, have you been sleeping?" Toothiana asked the girl, giving her a look of deep concern.

Fidgeting in her seat, Eve bit her lip as she looked at the rug on the wooden floor of the living room. "Well, not recently, no. But I'm fine, I'm going to catch up on sleep later."

After a few more concerned looks from the Guardians, Eve tried again to fight off sleep as she listened to their conversations, blinking her tired and dry eyes, forcing her heavy eyelids not to fall.

Eventually, the red-cloaked girl ended up leaning against Jack, unable to fight off the sleep that was slowly fogging her mind. The coldness of Jack's body kept her awake, and the winter spirit hesitantly put an arm around Eve, sending a chill through her that woke her up slightly. Smiling, Eve mumbled, so that only Jack could hear, "Thanks."

"Ah, North'd better get 'ere, soon. Can't have ya fallin' asleep before yer first Christmas party at the Santoff Clausen," Bunnymund told the forest spirit with a smirk as he looked at Jack's arm around her. "Your icepack can only keep ya awake fer so long," Bunny teased.

Eve laughed. "I'll stay awake. There's no way I'm sleeping, now."

* * *

Eventually, morning came, and Eve honestly found herself wondering how she had managed to stay up for so long. But North finally arrived, one gray sack slung onto his shoulder. Eve almost chuckled at the similarity between North and the pictures she had seen in children's books. The similarity at the moment was uncanny.

"So I see Little Red is still awake," North remarked with a laugh. "But barely, eh?" He teased as he observed her still leaning into the winter spirit's side.

Eve straightened up, and stretched. "I'm not falling asleep yet, North!" Eve told him playfully.

Laughing again, North ruffled Eve's hair. "Impressive, Little Red. Now, is time for celebration, no? Yetis bring out food, and then we open presents."

Everybody sat at the long table in North's dining room. It was lined with so many different types of food that Eve hadn't even seen half of it, before. Eve sat down at the table, Bunnymund sitting across from her, North next to him, Tooth on the other side of North, and Jack and Sandy sitting on either side of Eve. Yetis filled in the rest of the seats, and everybody dug in. Eve took helpings of everything without meat, filling herself mostly on pudding, soups and stews, devilled eggs, and plenty of roasted vegetables.

The feast was fantastic, and music filled the dining hall with various Christmas tunes played by the elves. A couple of sneaky elves tried to sneak food off the table, and only a few succeeded after being shooed away by North. Apparently the food made the elves even more hyper. Eve soon found that out when an elf somehow got itself stuck onto a chandelier, swinging around before it went flying through the room after being flung off, and landing on a few other poor elves.

Eve laughed, ate, talked, and listened to many funny stories that the Guardians had to share. It was the most fun she had ever had.

Eventually, after eating the biggest dinner-breakfast ever, the feast ended. The Yetis had retreated to their rooms to get some much needed rest, and Eve was left with the Guardians.

Then the time came for presents. Eve knew she wasn't getting anything, for she didn't start believing in North until a little over a week ago. But she didn't mind. Instead, Eve ran off to the living room to retrieve her backpack, and headed back to the dining room, standing next to Jack and Sandy, who were still seated. Practically bouncing with excitement, Eve smiled. "North? Could I go first? Uhm, I-I've made presents for you all," Eve explained as she felt herself go red with embarrassment at the stares of the Guardians.

North looked shocked, but smiled and nodded, "Yes, of course, Little Red."

"Sweet tooth, you didn't have to get us anything," Toothiana told the girl, her eyebrows drawn together.

Eve smiled. "I wanted to! It's just… to say thank you to you all. I mean, it's nothing big, but… it's something, I guess," Eve mumbled as she opened her bag, pulling out the five wrapped presents. The one on top was wrapped in shiny purple wrapping paper, topped with a sparkling pink bow. "This one is yours, Tooth," Eve said as she walked to the Guardian of Memories, handing her the wrapped gift. Then she handed North a red one with a white bow, "And North," she said with a smile as she handed him his gift. "Bunny," She said as she handed the pooka a green wrapped present with a yellow bow. "Sandy," she said as she made her way around the table to give the golden man a gold wrapped gift with a silver bow. "And Jack," Eve finished off, giving the Guardian of Fun his blue wrapped gift with a white bow.

After she had finished handing out gifts, Eve looked around at the Guardians nervously as they all began to unwrap their presents. One by one, they each pulled out their gifts- different scarves that Eve had knitted individually, unique for each Guardian, according to their personalities and signature colors.

Eve noted the Guardian's expressions as they observed their scarves. Eve was suddenly panicky. What if they didn't like it? Oh dear, Eve should have just bought them all something. This was a dumb idea, it's horrible, it's-

"Eve," Tooth gasped out, tears in her eyes. "Sweetie… this is beautiful," the Tooth Fairy whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Eve froze. "…Really? You like it?" Eve asked, feeling a weight lift off her chest.

Tooth nodded fast, a huge smile on her face as she wrapped her scarf around her neck, observing the pattern and texture closely, as if it was the finest piece of art she had ever seen.

"Where'd ya learn to knit like this, Sheila?" Bunny asked, seeming awestruck. "These are simply amazin'," he stated as he looked at the forest spirit.

Eve shuffled on her feet and shrugged. "I guess I always knew how. And I guess that three hundred years of practice can help a little," Eve joked with a laugh.

"A little practice, indeed!" North agreed with a jolly laugh as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. "Very nice, Little Red!" North complimented her.

Beaming, Eve saw Sandy nod happily as he made various excited symbols above his head, expressing his agreement with the Guardians. Lastly, Jack and Eve looked at each other, and Jack smiled big. "This… wow, Eve. It's honestly amazing. I love it," Jack told her with the most honest voice she had ever heard the wisecrack Guardian ever use.

Smiling wide, Eve looked at all the Guardians. "I'm so glad you all like it. I was really nervous that you wouldn't," Eve admitted as she sat down in her seat, all tension out of her body, now.

"We all love it, Eve," Tooth reassured, a smile on her face as she wiped away her tears.

"Now then," North began as he lifted up his grey sack. "I have gifts for you all, of course," he said as he pulled out wrapped presents, passing them over the table to everyone, including Eve. Eve held her present, awestruck.

"I… I get one, too?" Eve asked, hesitantly.

"Of course! Why would you not?" North asked, incredulously.

"I just… I mean, I didn't believe-"

"Ah, is not important!" North brushed off her statement. "You deserve gift just as much as next child on good list. Go ahead, open it," North urged her, smiling.

Eve looked down at her gift, wrapped in Christmas colored paper. Eve opened it, and saw a fairy tale book inside. The book from North's office, with the story of Snow White in it. Smiling, Eve looked up at the Russian Guardian. "Thanks, North," she said, gratefully.

North gave Eve a wink, and everyone opened their gifts, as well. After opening their gifts from North, Tooth flew over to Eve, and handed the girl something. It was a red-jeweled hair barrette, twined with silver and twisted into a beautiful design. Eve gasped when she saw the beautiful accessory, and Tooth gave a pearly white smile. "I… I thought It suited you," Tooth whispered after carefully handing Eve the hair clip. "I want you to have it," Toothiana told the girl, putting a small hand on Eve's hair. "Merry Christmas, Sweetie."

Smiling big, Eve looked into Toothiana's violet eyes. "Thankyou, Tooth. I love it."

With one last smile, Tooth bid her farewells to the Guardians, claiming she had to continue her work back at the Palace. Everyone said their goodbyes, and Tooth left.

A jingling sound to Eve's right startled her, and she looked at the golden sandman, who was handing Eve a jar. Puzzled, Eve took the jar, gently, and looked at what was inside. It contained golden dream sand. Eve looked into Sandy's eyes, thankfully. He looked at her knowingly, and gave her a nod and a soft smile. He knew about the nightmares.

"Thankyou so much, Sandy," Eve whispered as she hugged the golden man.

Sandy nodded, and smiled brightly at her, then bid the Guardians and Eve a farewell.

"I haveta head out, too, mate," Bunny told North after patting the Russian on the back as he stood up. "But first," he said as he walked over to Eve. "I got somethin' fer ya, Sheila," he said as he pulled out a long chain with a very small snow globe dangling on it. "It'll take ya to the Warren. Whenever y'feel like goin' someplace warm," Bunny told her with a smile. "Y'don't haveta smash it, though. Just whisper to it. It'll only take ya to the Warren, though," Bunny told Eve as he put the chain in her hand. "Be very careful with it, Red," Bunny warned. "Can't have that fallin' in the wrong hands. But I know I can trust ya," he said with a smile.

Eve looked at the beautiful snow globe, her mouth slightly agape. She could go to the beautiful, spring time Warren whenever she wanted to! Bunnymund trusted her. Feeling her heart swell with happiness, Eve looked up into Bunny's green eyes, and smiled. "I'll take good care of it. I promise. Thank you, Bunny!" She exclaimed, hugging the pooka as she wrapped her arms around the furry Guardian.

With a chuckle, he hugged her back. "Y'rwelcome, Red," he responded. He pulled away from her, and tapped his foot, twice. "See ya around," he said before jumping into the tunnel that formed in the ground. It sealed behind the pooka, leaving a flower to show where he once was.

Eve felt a large hand on her back. "Now then, Little Red. Is time for you to catch up on sleep, no? Stay here at Pole, for today. Jack can take you home, tonight, if you wish. Is still only afternoon," North told the forest spirit.

Smiling, Eve nodded, putting her new gifts in her bag, but keeping her warm sweater on. She looked at Jack, who gave her a smile. "I'll take her to the guest room, North," Jack volunteered, walking over to his friend.

The two friends walked through the workshop, until they reached the door to the guest room Eve had stayed in so many times. They stopped by the door, and Eve turned to face Jack. "Jack… I want to thank you," Eve said as she held the teen's hands, looking into his eyes. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I… I can't even tell you how much it means to me," Eve explained, letting out a breathy laugh. Jack smiled crookedly, and held her hands tighter, the cold from his fingers trickling through her arms. "If it weren't for you, I would've spent another Christmas alone," Eve said as she smiled gratefully at her friend.

Jack's smile faltered slightly, before it came back, softer this time. "Eve… you never have to be alone. Never again. I… we're here for you. Always, okay? Remember that," he told her as he stared into her eyes, intently, his ice blue eyes hypnotizing.

Eve nodded, and smiled again, trying to stop the tears that blurred her vision from streaking down her cheeks. Eve hugged Jack tight, drawing him to her. "Thank you… thank you so much," she said as she wrapped her arms around him, shaking from the tears she was holding back.

Jack hugged her back, resting his chin on the top of her head as he drew circles on her back, comfortingly, letting Eve calm down. After Eve stopped shaking, Jack pulled away, a smirk on his face. "Don't forget. Tomorrow, ice skating," he told her as he pulled up her hood, playfully. "No take backs," he told her with a cocky smile, earning a laugh from the forest spirit.

"You're on, Frost," Eve challenged as she opened the door to the guest room, slipping inside. "Goodnight, Jack… or, good afternoon. You know what I mean," She rambled.

Laughing, Jack twirled his staff before resting it comfortably on his shoulder. "Sweet dreams, Eve," he told her, before flying off.

And Eve gladly rested in the plush bed of the guest room, immediately falling into a deep sleep.

She didn't even notice the tall shadow in the corner of her room, watching her.

* * *

**Woo! There we go! n_n this is one of the few chapters that I wrote without a rough draft beforehand, so there may be many errors, but please just point them out to me and I will correct them right away!**

**ICE SKATING NEXT CHAPTER OHMYGOD YOU GUYS IT'S GONNA BE EXTRA FLUFFY YOU GUYS ARE GONNA KILL ME IT'LL BE THAT GOOD, I PROMISE. SO MUCH FLUFF, SO MUCH SHIPPING, ERMAHGERD YOU GUYS**

**Sooooo yes! Look forward to that, it'll probably be posted tomorrow or Wednesday! :3**

**ALSO YOU GUYS TELL ME IF YOU WANT ME TO DRAW A PICTURE OF EVE DAWN. If not, then whatevs. n_n But yesh**

**Thankyou guys for the support! Please review!**

**Goodbye, my dearies~**


	14. Chapter 14

When Eve woke up in the middle of the afternoon, she was still in the bed in North's guest room. She gathered her belongings, found Jack- who was lounging in the globe room, freezing elves that unluckily walked past him. He immediately perked up at her arrival, and agreed to take her home. They used a snow globe to get to her cottage, and Jack told Eve to be ready by four, tomorrow. After they said their goodbyes, Eve found herself wanting to sleep, again. Her cottage was bathed in the dark of the night, making her drowsy. So, after cleaning up her small home, she slipped into her bed- after taking off her cloak, but not her sweater- and fell asleep.

Before she even fully lost consciousness, Eve could feel the cold grasp of a nightmare.

_A cage. He was trapped in a wrought, iron cage. The little boy was beating his tiny, bloodied fists against the bars as it lowered into the dark, cold waters._

"_Eve! Eve, help me! Please, I'm scared!" The little boy called out, his voice shaking with fear as sobs escaped from his quivering lips. Tears stained his round, red cheeks, and his big brown eyes gazed at Eve pleadingly. "Help me! I can't get-"_

_The cage went under the black, ice water, muffling the young boy's screams. Bubbles arose from underneath the deathly waters to the surface, but stopped after the splashing seized._

_All was silent. Oh so very, dreadfully silent._

_And Eve fell into the water, too._

A loud knock woke Eve, making her sit up straight, attentive. It was daytime, now. How long had Eve slept…? Yawning, Eve got up, grabbed her cloak, fastened it on, and made her way to the front door. An impossible cold seeped through the cracks in the wooden door, and Eve smiled wide, swinging her door open.

A smiling winter spirit was at her door, leaning on his wooden staff- an item that was basically a part of him, for he was never seen without it. On the hook of his staff, white ice skates were dangling by their laces.

Smiling wide, Eve hugged the winter spirit, and he wrapped an arm around her, his embrace sending a pleasantly cold shiver through her. Jack chuckled. "Hello to you, too," he joked, tightening his arm around her. Eve smiled, breathing in his intoxicating scent of mint, snowberries, and winter weather.

Pulling away, Eve laughed back. "Hello!" She exclaimed.

Jack raised an eyebrow curiously, but his face brightened considerably at her enthusiasm. "You're excited," he pointed out with a smirk.

Eve closed her door behind her, and looked at Jack as she smiled, again. "I'm just happy to see you," she told him, shrugging.

The winter spirit's cheeks went pink, but he smiled. "So, you ready to skate? The lake is perfect," he told her, excitement in his voice.

Shuffling her feet, Eve smiled nervously. "Yeah, I'm ready. But, uhm, I don't really know how… to skate, I mean," she admitted, her cheeks going red with embarrassment.

Jack smiled. "That's why I'm going to teach you. You'll be an expert by the time I'm finished with you," he said cockily, observing his nails, playfully. Eve laughed, and looped her arm through Jack's.

"Alright then, Mr. Expert. I'm ready. Can we walk? The lake isn't too far off," Eve told him.

Jack nodded back, but suddenly pulled away from Eve. "Sure. But first," he said as he drew up Eve's hood, and adjusted her sweater. "We gotta make sure you stay warm," he told her. Eve pouted, but Jack only chuckled. When he finished making sure she was as covered as she could be, Jack stepped back, looking her up and down. His smile turned soft as he drew nearer, tugging playfully on her hood."You know, I don't think I've ever told you how amazing you look in red," he told her, hesitantly. Eve felt her cheeks flush, and Jack laughed. Brushing the back of his fingers against her left cheek, he said, "Yup. It suits you."

Despite the heat that pooled in her stomach, Eve found herself smiling. "Thank you, Jack," she whispered.

Returning her smile, Jack looped their arms, again, drawing her close to his side. "Shall we, m'lady?" He asked with a smirk.

Laughing, Eve leaned into his side. "We shall," she agreed. So the two friends walked to the lake. Eve asked jack how he's been, and what he was up to before they reunited yesterday. Jack told her stories of mischief he caused to poor civilians of towns he'd visited. Eve had to pause their walking to control her laughing when Jack told her about how he made a snow cloud follow a snobby businessman all day. Apparently, while driving to work, the mean man purposefully ran over snowmen that kids had made with his dumb, fancy, expensive car. So for payback (and to teach him a lesson, Jack had said when he defended himself) Jack made one grey snow cloud loom over the businessman whenever he was outside. The cloud was over the businessman, and only the businessman, Jack had explained. Apparently, by the end of the day the man was shouting at the cloud maniacally, asking it what it wanted and pleading it to stop and leave him alone. His yelling had earned him a lot of stares, Jack told Eve with a chuckle.

When Jack finished his stories, and Eve's stomach hurt from laughing so much, Jack asked Eve how she's been. She lied, telling him she's been doing great. She couldn't tell him about her nightmares. They weren't that big of a deal, right?

Thankfully, before Jack could notice her lying, they both reached the lake. Eve let go of Jack's arm and ran to the shore of the frozen water, plopping down in the snow, shortly followed by Jack. Jack gave Eve some socks, and she pulled them on. Next, Jack put Eve's skates on, and laced them up, his nimble fingers tying them up in their criss-cross pattern quickly and expertly.

When he finished tying the skates, he stood up and offered Eve a hand, smiling. She took it, and stood upon her wobbly feet, almost falling backwards if Jack hadn't grabbed her in time. "Easy, now. Don't rush it," he instructed her calmly, taking her hands in his and pulling her onto the lake, slowly, his eyes locked on her feet.

"Jack, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you know, on this lake?" Eve asked, hesitantly, looking up into Jack's blue eyes.

Jack looked back into Eve's eyes, and smirked. "It's safe. I froze it over twice. And I'm alright, I promise. Or are you just backing out?" He teased, challengingly.

Eve pouted and held onto Jack's hands tighter. "In your dreams, Frost," she replied.

With a chuckle, Jack drew her further and further onto the lake, returning his eyes to her feet. Eve was looking down at her skates, as well, trying to will her feet to stay balanced. They wobbled around until they balanced awkwardly, her weight resting on the outward sides of her feet. Jack chuckled and put his right hand on Eve's left shoulder blade, his other hand grasping Eve's upper right arm. "Eve, you need to tilt your feet inwards," he instructed her with a toothy grin. "Here, like this," he demonstrated the position with his bare feet as he spoke. Eve nodded, holding onto Jack's upper left arm with her right hand, putting her left around his waist to steady and balance herself.

She slowly tilted her feet inwards as he had instructed, the position feeling awkward on her feet. "This doesn't feel right," she mumbled as she gripped on tighter to her friend when her feet wobbled beneath her, threatening to give out.

"It'll put less stress on your feet and help you get your balance. Don't worry, you'll get used to it," he reassured her with a smile.

Eve nodded again, and tried to move forwards as Jack pulled her along. A yelp escaped from her lips as her feet suddenly gave out and she fell into Jack's chest, wrapping her arms around his waist to stop her fall. "It's alright, you're fine, I've got you," Jack told her in a calming voice as he tried to soothe the forest spirit.

"Please don't let me fall, Jack," Eve begged him as she rebalanced herself, drawing away from him slightly as she did so.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Jack responded as he held her tighter, drawing her body to his. Slowly, Jack began to slide backwards, again, smoothly pulling Eve along with him. She kept her balance, and soon her legs stopped wobbling and she could manage to keep the right posture. It took nearly an hour of clumsy skating along the lake, holding onto Jack like a freaking lifeline, but she finally got it. "You've got it!" Jack exclaimed when he saw he posture improve, Eve's confidence in her skating now showing. "Okay, now push off with one foot… good, now the other."

Soon, Eve was the one pushing Jack and herself over the ice. Jack loosened his grip on her arm and shoulder, slowly starting to let go. He finally looked into Eve's eyes and she looked into his. The winter spirit's calming blue eyes searched her own, trying to read her thoughts. Eve let out the breath she realized she was holding, and nodded. "You can let go. I think I can do it," she assured the Guardian of Fun.

He nodded back, and slowly let go, sliding down his hand on her arm until their fingers were intertwined. He helped her balance herself one last time, gave her hand a squeeze, and let go.

Eve outstretched her arms at her sides, trying to keep her balance as she slowly skated forward along the ice all on her own. A smile found its way to her face as she heard Jack's joyous laughter behind her. "You're doing it, Eve! Keep going, you're doing great!"

Encouraged by his words, Eve continued to skate, making a circle around the middle of the pond. She was laughing now, picking up speed. The cold wind whipped at her face, making her hood fall back, turning her cheeks and nose a bright red as she smiled cheekily. This was so much fun!

Suddenly, Eve's right skate caught on a lump on the lake's frozen surface and she tripped, about to fall forward on her face. Letting out a yelp of surprise, Eve thrust her arms out forward to break her fall, closing her eyes tight.

But it never came.

The second she put out her arms, Jack was in front of her, grasping her in his arms, topping over along with Eve, Eve on top of Jack. Eve opened her eyes when she didn't feel the impact of the ice, and realized that Jack was lying underneath her, his arms grasping around her waist, holding her to him in a protective embrace. When she realized the awkward position they were in, Eve tried to get up but couldn't for her feet and legs slipped uselessly on the ice, not allowing her to move an inch. "I'm so sorry!" Eve apologized, blushing fiercely when she felt how close they were. Their chests were pressed together, hips against one another's, and faces merely an inch apart.

Jack let out a breathy chuckle as he lifted them both up until they were sitting across from each other on the ice. "I don't mind," he joked, making Eve go impossibly redder. He laughed again before her stopped, looking her over. "Are you alright?" He asked, worry prominent in his voice. "I should've stayed close by, just in case-"

"I'm fine, Jack! I landed on _you! _Are you okay?" Eve asked as she looked him over, as well, feeling extremely guilty.

Jack smiled. "I'm alright. You're not very heavy," he pointed out. Before she could express further concern, Jack stood up, taking Eve's hands as he helped her up, as well. Eve held onto his cold hands, not letting go even when they were standing.

Jack looked at the sky, which was now tinted with pink, revealing the first signs of sunset. "How about we call it a night?" He asked, looking back at Eve and catching the look of disappointment on her face before she quickly hid it. She didn't want to go back home. Back to the loneliness. Back to the nightmares. Jack smiled and said, "Let's watch the sunset, again." Letting go of Eve's hands, he pointed to a tall oak tree. "It's really nice up in that tree," he recommended. "Good view," he added with a smirk.

Eve smiled big, nodding enthusiastically. "Alright!" She agreed. Then she smirked. "I'll race you," she challenged him. "After you help me get these skates off," she added.

Laughing, Jack consented. "Alright, then," he obliged as he picked Eve up bridal style. Letting out a startled scream, Eve put her arms around Jack's neck, laughing as he brought her to the shore of the lake, clearing snow off to make a spot for her to sit on the grass. He put her down, and undid her laces, pulling off her skates and placing them to the side. Eve took off her socks, as well, wiggling her now bare toes.

"You should keep your socks on," Jack said concernedly. "You need to be as warm as I can get you," he told her.

Smiling softly, Eve buried her toes in the snow. "My feet are the only part of me that doesn't get cold," she explained to him. "I'm not sure why." Jack furrowed his eyebrows, but shrugged off the conversation as he helped Eve up on to her feet. "Thanks!" She said with a smile as she shot off into the sky, flying to the tree the fastest she could.

She felt Jack brush up against her as he called out to her. "You cheated!" He accused her.

Eve laughed as the winter spirit pouted. "You're just slow!" She called to him as she reached to the tree, speeding up it. She felt hands grab her legs, and pull her back,

Laughing as Eve yelps, Jack passes her and makes it to the top of the tree, sitting down on a thick branch, a smug look on his face. When Eve reached him, Jack patted the spot to his left, smiling cockily at her.

Panting as she sat down, Eve glared at her friend, her nose scrunched up as she makes a face at him. "You- you pulled me," pants, "back! You cheated!"

Jack laughed, hooking his staff onto the branch they were sitting on, putting it to the right of his so it hung safely. He leaned in close to Eve, a smirk on his face. "I won. Fair and square. Admit it," he teased her.

Eve refused. "We're having a rematch, soon. Then we'll see who the winner _really_ is."

"It's a deal," Jack agreed, a determined look on his face. Then his eyes brightened. "You wanna play a game?" He asked, sparking her interest.

Eve straightened up. "Sure! What is it?"

Jack smiled mischievously. He leaned in closer to Eve, until they were face to face. "The question game. We can each take turns asking any question we want. We're allowed three passes for questions we don't want to answer. But for each pass someone uses, the other person gets to give him or her a dare."

Eve laughed. "You just made this up now, didn't you?

Jack puffed out his chest confidently. "Maybe," he retorted. When Eve laughed, again, he joined her. "I just want to get to know you better. I feel like I know nothing about you," Jack admitted, looking into Eve's eyes with big blue puppy-dog eyes.

Eve smiled and bumped his arm with hers. "Likewise, Frost. Alright, I'm game. Who starts first?"

"Me," Jack claimed, smiling slyly. Oh dear. Eve watched him stroke his chin thoughtfully, prolonging his question to bother her and make her impatient. "What's your favorite color?" He finally asked.

Eve couldn't help but laugh. "Out of all the questions you could ask, that's the one you choose?"

Jack gave a smirk. "Oh, I'm just warming up," he claimed.

Eve smiled and rolled her eyes. "Blue," she said, without realizing. It would've sounded like a normal enough answer, and they would have moved on if Eve hadn't blushed, and Jack hadn't seen her get flustered.

Jack smiled softly. "Why are you all red?" He asked.

Eve looked away, trying to look uninterested in his hypnotizing blue eyes. "Nothing," she lied. Suddenly, the winter spirit leaned in really close, and his unbelievably sweet smell filled Eve's senses. Eve couldn't help but look into his eyes, and that's what won her over.

"Tell me?" He asked her softly, making her blush even more.

Eve drew her eyes away from his and looked down. Oh gosh. Why was he so hard to say no to? Trying to make herself sound all "no big deal", she answered him. "My favorite color used to be green, because it reminded me of spring. But it's blue, now… because it reminds me of you. Your eyes, your hoodie, winter overall." She shrugged. Jack smiled softly, looking like he was holding back a laugh.

"That's… actually really cute," he admitted, looking into Eve's eyes playfully when she looked up, shocked. He laughed at her wide-eyed expression.

Trying to calm her red face and racing heart, Eve changed topics. "So them, what's your favorite color?" She asked.

Jack smiled, again, sending a butterfly frenzy in Eve's stomach. He pulled at her cloak. "Red. Ever since I first saw it on you," he added, making Eve's cheeks turn from red to scarlet. He laughed and brushed the back of his fingers against Eve's cheek for the second time that day. "Yep, red is definitely my favorite color."

Trying to calm her blushing, Eve rolled her eyes again and looked away from Jack's ice blue eyes. "Okay, so my turn right?"

"Ah, ah, ah!" You asked me for my favorite color, too," Jack said with a mischievous smile. "So it's my turn, now," he corrected her. Before she could argue, Jack asked," When's your birthday?"

Eve smiled at the unexpected question. "Springtime, I think. I'm not exactly sure. But I feel like it's on the twelfth of April. Somehow, whenever that day comes, I feel like it's important."

Jack smiled back. "Gives me time to plan out what I'm going to do," he said with a mysterious look in his eyes.

Eve laughed. "Oh no, you'd better not do anything ridiculous," she warned him.

Smiling smugly, Jack said, "No promises. Your turn."

After rolling her eyes, again, Eve contemplated on a good question. A smug smirk made its way to her face when she thought of one. "Have you ever kissed someone?" She asked, laughing when this time Jack went a deep red.

"Geez, just going right for it, aren't you?" He muttered, his cheeks flushing even more when Eve gestured for him to move on. Contemplating on whether he should answer her or take a dare, Jack sighed, defeated. "No. I haven't," he answered.

Eve raised her eyebrows. "Really? Never?" She asked. There was no way in heck that could be true.

Jack shrugged, picking up his staff and twirling it in his hand mindlessly. "Is it really that much of a shock?" He asked, a smirk playing on his lips as he glanced at Eve.

"Well… yeah. I mean- I feel like…" Eve broke off, turning pink.

This time, Jack raised his eyebrows. "You feel like what?" He asked, prodding her on.

Eve tried again to look nonchalant. "You just seem like you'd be really popular with girls. I feel like you have to have at least kissed someone."

At this, Jack smiled. "Well, thank you. But… no, I haven't. When I was a human, I was mostly focused on having fun, taking care of my sister, helping out my family… I never really had time for a relationship before I died," He told her, shrugging. "And then when I woke up as Jack Frost, I was invisible for three hundred years. Until a year ago," he added. "So I've never kissed anybody." He admitted, embarrassed. "How about you?" He asked with a look in his eyes, hoping she'd say no as he hooked his staff back on the branch.

Eve smiled slightly. "Nope. Never. I was invisible, too. And… I don't remember my human memories. But I'm sure I haven't then, either," She answered him.

They just stared at each other for a long time, then, completely silent. It wasn't an awkward silence, though. It was calming… Eve just stared into Jack's eyes, and she soon found herself very close to the winter spirit. They were both leaning in, legs touching and faces only inches apart. Jack put his hand on Eve's lower back, drawing circles with his fingertips, making Eve's breath catch in her throat at the soft touch. Eve's heartbeat sped up, and she had to even out her breathing, which had gone shaky. Hesitantly, Eve put a hand on Jack's leg, and one on the back of his neck, playing with his hair softly as they shared this blissful silence.

Jack placed his other hand on Eve's cheek, the cold contrasting greatly against her warm, flushed skin. Jack gazed into Eve's eyes, and it seemed as if they were saying a million things to each other, just through their gazes. Eve suddenly felt the desperate need to know what was going through Jack's mind at this very moment.

Realizing it was her turn to ask a question, Eve swallowed and ran her tongue over her lips before she spoke. "What are you thinking?" She asked softly and hesitantly, curiosity clear in her voice as she studied Jack's eyes.

Jack smirked slyly at her question, and rubbed a cold thumb over her cheek back and forth before answering. "Pass," he whispered, making Eve feel her insides leap.

Their breaths mingled, bodies entwined, grasping one another gently and lovingly. _Oh gosh, was this happening? _Eve thought to herself as she found her eyes drifting to Jack's lips, which were drawing nearer. _Was he…? Are they…? _Eve couldn't help but wonder, her body going through a thrilling exhilaration from the different emotions she was feeling. Yes. She was ready. And she wanted nothing more than to finally kiss him.

As they leaned closer, noses brushing against one another, Eve started to close her eyes. At that moment, a brilliant wave of Northern lights shone in the sky, making Jack pull away, alarmed. He groaned when he saw the lights, and turned to look at Eve. "I have to go," he said apologetically. Eve felt her heart tighten, disappointed, but she nodded, forcing a smile. "I'll walk you home," Jack told her as he grabbed his staff and held Eve in his arms, carefully flying them to the ground. Eve didn't protest his holding her. She wanted their bodies to be as close as she could get them, for she wasn't ready for him to leave.

After picking up the discarded skates, Jack tied them to the hook of his staff, again, and held Eve's hand as they walked, Eve leaning close to Jack, warming the winter spirit. They were silent the whole walk back, not saying a word, but instead focusing on the feeling of the other's hand in their own, fingers intertwined.

When they reached Eve's house they stopped at her front door, Jack holding both of Eve's hands now as he faced her. He had rested his staff on the ground so that he could hold Eve's hands in his. Jack didn't want to leave, either. But he knew he had to. Eve squeezed his hands and then let go as she slid her arms around his slender waist, bringing him to her. "You know, you owe me a dare," she told him, looking into his eyes.

Jack's cheeks flushed, but he smiled as he put his arms around her waist, as well. "Alright, then. Go for it," he urged her as Eve tried to control her racing heart.

Before she could persuade herself out of it, Eve put her arms around Jack's neck as he tightened his arms around her waist, pressing her body against his. "Kiss me," she whispered, looking from his lips, back to his eyes.

Smiling slightly, Jack leaned in towards her, and Eve went on her tiptoes to reach him. Right as she leaned her head to the side, lips about to brush against one another's, a voice interrupted them, stopping them from their kiss yet again.

"Oi, loverboy! Didn't ya see the lights? North needs ya, we gotta go!" Bunny's Australian accent chided.

With an aggravated sigh, Jack pulled away, and the two teens stepped away from each other unwillingly. "One second!" He called out to the pooka, irritated.

Eve put a hand on Jack's arm, and their eyes met. With a soft smile, Eve said, "Go. I'll see you soon."

Jack smiled apologetically. "I'll come back tomorrow," he promised.

Eve smiled and nodded. Jack picked up his staff, and when Eve removed her hand from Jack's arm, he suddenly leaned in quick, and kissed her cheek, taking the forest spirit by surprise and making her go completely red.

Then he was off, flying away and Eve turned to see Bunny tap his foot twice, going down his tunnel with a smirk.

Placing a hand on her cheek, Eve smiled and then giggled happily, twirling in the snow giddily. After putting her hands over her heart, Eve looked up at the almost full moon, and smiled, letting out a sigh. She walked into her cottage with a smile still on her lips.

But that smile fell when a cold, chilling voice spoke to her from a corner of her house, behind her. "Hello there, love. It's been a while," the voice greeted her. Before she had time to turn around, shadows enveloped the forest spirit, making her fall to the floor. "Eve Dawn," the British-accented voice taunted. "My, my, how you've grown."

And dark tendrils gagged her, muffling her screams as she slipped into darkness.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN.**

**So the next chapter won't be out for a while, because I need to make sure it's perfect. Sorry, you guys! But yes, I promise you will all love it n_n **

**Ahhhh thankyou guys so much for the reviews! And so yes, I shall draw Eve Dawn and put a link on my profile by the time I update this story.**

**I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THE FLUFFINESS BECAUSE IT WAS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE.  
PLEASE HELP ME CORRECT ANY GRAMMATICAL ERRORS I WROTE THIS IN A RUSH AND DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO REVIEW IT.**

**Soooo yesh n_n please review! I read all of them, and they make my day and encourage me to write :3 I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH**

**Goodbye, my dearies!~**


	15. Chapter 15

"So," Bunny spoke as he and Jack made their way to the globe room of the workshop, "Did'ya kiss 'er?" The pooka asked with a smirk when Jack stopped walking, his face beet red and his blue eyes bewildered.

"Wha- you-"He stuttered, trying to form a response. His heart pounded in his chest as he thought of his day with Eve. They had almost kissed _twice. _Jack still couldn't believe it. Calming his beating heart, Jack straightened his posture and tried to put on a nonchalant look. "Why do you want to know?" Jack asked as he continued walking, not looking at the rabbit that was following him with a smug look on his face.

"Well you two were lookin' awfully close," Bunny persisted, trying to embarrass the younger Guardian. "So? Did'ya nip at 'er nose, Frosty?" Bunny joked, making Jack's cheeks flush.

"_Ah_," Jack grimaced, responding instinctively to the old saying. "Who even came up with that awful saying?" He muttered to himself, Bunny picking up on Jack's mumbling with his sharp hearing, and chuckling at the boy's words. Smiling slightly now, Jack rolled his eyes. "No. We didn't. No thanks to you and North," Jack added.

"Good," Bunny responded, chuckling again when Jack looked at him accusingly.

"How is that good?" Jack exclaimed, frustrated. "Did you plan that?" Jack asked the older Guardian, suddenly growing suspicious. It _had _been perfect timing when Bunny happened to drop in on them.

"Nah, I'm jus' messin' with ya, Frostbite," Bunny replied, ruffling the teen's snow white hair. "It was merely luck on my part," The Easter Bunny added, making the teen scowl. "Sorry, Frostbite. Maybe you'll get lucky next time, eh?" The pooka comforted sarcastically, smirking when Jack pouted in response. Before Jack could even think of a response, they reached the globe room and Bunnymund slipped in through the door. Jack tailed him, walking in to find a worried-looking Tooth, North, and Sandy.

"Why are you two late?" North exclaimed, throwing tattooed arms into the air with frustration.

Bunnymund leaned against the wall, pulling out an egg and painting it. "Had ta pick up Frostbite from his date," Bunny explained, raising an eyebrow pointedly at Jack, and smirking when the spirit of winter glared at him.

Deciding to ignore the pooka, Jack leaned against his staff. "What's up, North? Did anything happen?" Jack asked his superior. Something really bad must have happened for North to have used the lights to summon them all here. Jack had an uneasy feeling in stomach about this all, but tried to remain cool and calm, not wanting to look panicked in front of his fellow Guardians.

North's face grew serious at Jack's question. "Yes... something has happened... there was a note... well, and..." North tried to find a way to explain, but couldn't seem to. Running a hand through his beard, North looked at Tooth (who was looking so worried that she seemed to be sick), then back at Jack. "Jack… has Eve mentioned… nightmares? Has she spoken to you of any bad dreams?"

Jack straightened up at the mention of Eve's name, at full attention now. "No… she hasn't," Jack informed his fellow Guardians. His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Why? Is something wrong with Eve?" Jack asked, catching the look that all the Guardians shared. It was a look of fear… of secrets. "Is Pitch after Eve?" Jack persisted, making the connection now. They wouldn't be gathered here unless Pitch had something to do with it.

North opened his mouth, then closed it, then looked at Tooth again and back at Jack. "Jack… we think Pitch may be after Little Red. She… there is something we must tell you about her… It is something about her past," North spoke, hesitantly.

Jack's eyes widened and he looked at everyone in the room. They were all looking at Jack, a knowing and grave look set on their faces. "Wha-… you know about Eve's past?" Jack asked, shocked. He grew furious, now. "You knew something about her and _you didn't tell her?_" Jack exclaimed, bewildered. How could they?! All those days Jack had been searching for Pitch without the others knowing, trying to find Eve's memories, and they knew the whole time?! Why were they keeping secrets? Why had they been lying to Eve all this time?

Bunny pulled out a boomerang, and tensed, ready to fight as he stared down Jack. "We had our reasons, mate. Red can't find out. Not yet. She's not ready. And we didn't tell ya because we knew you'd act like this an' ruin everythin'," Bunny told the winter spirit, green eyes narrowed.

"Bunny, stop," Tooth commanded her fellow Guardian. She looked at everyone in the room. "I will tell him. This is my fault, and my responsibility. I should be the one to explain," She told them all. North gave her a consenting nod, and Tooth flew over to Jack. She looked him straight in the eyes. "Jack, I need you to listen to me, okay?" She asked, trying to calm him down. Jack was tensed, gripping onto his staff. He was confused and upset, but he willed himself to relax, pushing his shoulders back from their leaned and tense position, and unclenching his jaw and fists. Once she had his attention, Tooth spoke. "Jack, I knew Eve. I knew her when she was human… and..." Tooth looked down, twiddling her fingers, blinking furiously. She took a deep breath, and looked back into Jack's eyes, violet meeting cerulean. "I was there the day she died."

* * *

Jack ran through the snow globe portal, tailed by North, Tooth, Sandy and Bunny. He knew about Eve's past. He knew how she died. He knew that Pitch was after her. And he wished that he hadn't had left her at her home.

The winter spirit reached Eve's cottage, and his heart dropped when he saw that the door was open, and the house was dark. "Eve!" Jack yelled when he ran into the abandoned house. "Eve, where are you?" Jack called out, running about the house, blindly stumbling in the dark. He yearned to hear her voice replying all irritated, telling Jack he woke her from her sleep. But no voice called back to him. The only thing that answered him was the whistling of the Northern Winds and the echoes of his own voice piercing through the horrid quiet of the dark. The house was suddenly lit with a golden light, and Jack looked around to see Sandy's golden sand floating about the house, the Guardian of Dreams flying about in search of the girl.

That was when Jack's breath caught in his throat.

Eve's house was a mess. Her table was flipped over, two legs of it snapped and strewn about. Dishes were broken into pieces on the floor, wooden bowls turned to splinters. Eve's gifts were in various places in her home, and her bed sheets were ripped and thrown about. Jack saw Bunny bend down and pick something up. He quickly realized it was the snow globe necklace that Bunny had given Eve. "Aw no, Sheila… what 'as 'e done with ya?" Bunny mumbled to himself, looking about the cottage as he placed the necklace in one of the pouches on his belt. Tooth picked up the beret that she had given to eve and clutched it to her chest, stifling a sob. The book North had given Eve was lying pages down, and many of the pages had been torn out. Jack picked up one of them, and saw that it was a picture of Snow White. Jack's throat tightened, his eyes burning.

A jar of dream sand was cracked, the sand pooling around it. And finally… Jack's sweater. The one he had given Eve… it was torn… torn and discarded on the floor. Jack picked up the wooly cloth, the piece of it that had the girl tending to animals. Feeling tears burn his eyes, Jack swallowed them back, and looked around the house. Eve wasn't here. She was long gone, far away from the Guardians in a location none of them knew.

The worst part of the mess in Eve's home was the black sand. It was strewn about the house, covering everything with its dark, haunting presence. Letting out the breath he had been holding, Jack licked his dry lips. He put the wool in his hoodie pocket, and ran out the door of Eve's cottage. "We're going to search the forest for her!" Jack called out to the Guardians. "Everyone spread out! Meet back here in an hour!"

And at that, Jack took off into the skies.

He needed to find Eve. He needed to save her before he lost her forever.

* * *

**Get ready for the intense part of this story! In the next chapter, you guys will find out how Eve died! Also, there will be many unexpected moments to come. **

**Sorry for the short chapter. It was much longer, but I separated it into two chapters because it was much too long and I couldn't find a good stopping point.**

**Would you guys mind if I posted the next chapter today? Or would that be too much? Ahhh I dunno, you guys can tell me in the reviews or private message me or whatever. I don't wanna spam your emails by putting two chapters in one day XD but it's ready when you guys want to read it!**

**Goodbye, my dearies! Thankyou for the reviews and positive feedback, my lovelies!~**


	16. Chapter 16

"It's time to wake up, Ms. Dawn."

Eve moaned in pain, and lifted up her head, opening her eyes. Everything was dark, only a small eerie light glowing to reveal the cave-like area Eve was in. Eve licked her dry lips only to find the taste of blood. She was sore and tried to move her arms to stretch them out before she realized she was tied to a chair. Her arms were bound behind her, completely immobile. A sharp pain reverberated in her skull, and Eve winced.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," The British-accented voice chimed. "Oh, look at you. I apologize for the injuries. My guards are not very gentle creatures."

"Who are you?" Eve croaked, looking at the tall figure that loomed before her. Her blue eyes met pale yellow ones. The man standing before her was clad completely in black, and was incredibly tall and slim. His black hair was slicked back, and his skin was an ashy gray.

The man smirked, revealing pointed teeth. "Did I forget to introduce myself? Oh, how rude of me. My name is Pitch Black. Although I am quite sure the Guardians have told you many _pleasant _things about me," Pitch spoke.

Eve's eyes narrowed at the man, and she squirmed in her seat. "Why am I here? Let me go, _now_!" She commanded, angrily.

"Ah well I can't do that, darling. You see, I've been waiting for this day. I've been waiting so long to bring you here," Pitch explained with a wide grin. "I believe it's about time you learned the truth, don't you?" The dark man taunted her, walking behind her as he spoke.

The forest spirit squirmed again, trying to keep Pitch under her gaze but unable to. "Why did you bring me here?" Eve asked as she listened carefully to the rhythmic patting of Pitch's feet behind her.

"To help you, my dear. You see, you and I are not so different. Unlucky for you though, to stumble upon those Guardians. Did they tell you their little secret?" Pitch teased as he walked back in front of Eve, holding something behind his back.

Eve eyed the Boogeyman, watching his every move. She was going to ignore him, but her curiosity got the best of her. "What secret?" She asked suspiciously.

"Why, they haven't told you?" Pitch asked with surprise, his eyes wide. "Eve, darling… they know about your past. They've known the whole time! They were using you, my dear! They were going to keep your powers to themselves. They knew that once you found out about your past, you'd know that your death was their fault! So they decided to never let you know and gather you on their side. Your power is a very useful one, indeed. All they had to do was pretend to befriend you. All they had to do was get little Jacky to pretend to fall in love with you. Then you'd be theirs."

"You're lying!" Eve yelled, leaning forward in her seat, trying to jump at her enemy. "You're a liar! The Guardians are my friends! They've done nothing but help me!"

Pitch's laughed echoed through the cave, making Eve cringe. "Do you honestly think those buffoons are your _friends_? Look at the facts, Eve! They know how you died! They haven't been letting you stay at your home because they knew I'd tell you the awful truth! And if you'd let me help you, you shall find out how you truly died. You will find out that it is indeed the fault of a Guardian."

"I don't believe you!" Eve hissed, glaring at the shadow king.

Pitch stared down the forest spirit. "Very well. Then I suppose if you trust your _friends _so much you don't have any need for this," He spoke as he drew out a tooth container from behind him. Eve gasped, her eyes wide.

"My memories…" She whispered. Pitch's face was unmoving as he observed the girl. "Hand those over! They're mine!" Eve commanded, squirming in her seat again.

"Well if you trust the Guardians so much, you have no use for them. Why don't you just ask your friends how you died? I'm _sure _they'll tell you the complete and honest truth," Pitch teased, smiling.

Eve ran her tongue over her cracked lips, wiping away the blood that covered them. "You know, you're telling me to trust you and not them… but here I am, bruised up and bloodied and tied to a chair in some cave with _you_. Why should I trust you? You have not proven to be anything but the enemy," Eve spoke, staring down the black-robed immortal.

Pitch scowled. "I _saved _you _and _your memories, Ms. Dawn. You are only tied to the chair so I can be absolutely sure that you will listen to what I have to say. And for the record, I didn't tie you up in the first place. I'd never do something so fowl to a friend. The guards did," Pitch replied amusingly.

Eve's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean you saved my memories?" She asked.

"The Fairy," Pitch retorted. "She was going to destroy them. One of her _servants _saw you with Frost. Once the Tooth Fairy found out you were still alive, she tried to destroy your teeth to prevent you from finding out the truth about your past. I barely made it on time. I took them from her before she could throw them in her fireplace."

Eve shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. "You're lying," she repeated.

"Am I? Why don't you take a look? Go ahead and see the truth," Pitch offered as he stretched out his arm, handing Eve the teeth container. As soon as he was done speaking, shadows came out from underneath him and untied Eve, letting her free. Eve stayed in her seat, staring down the golden box.

Her fingers itched to reach out and grab hold of her memories, but she restrained herself. What if it was all a trick?

But this could be her only chance.

And on that note, Eve grabbed the memories box from Pitch's outstretched hand. He took a step back and observed Eve, seeming amused.

Eve inspected the object in her hands, running fingers along the sturdy, beautiful object.

"Eve!"

Eve gasped, almost dropping the box as she looked around the cave. "D-did you hear that?" She asked as she stood up, looking around her then at Pitch.

He feigned a look of concern. "Hear what, my dear?"

"A… a boy's voice. A little boy. He called my name," Eve explained, blinking as she calmed her erratic breathing.

"Darling, that was your memories. That voice is your little brother," Pitch explained comfortingly. He walked over to Eve and took her hand, placing it on the top of the teeth container. "Go ahead, dear. Open it," He urged her.

Eve nodded and Pitch stepped back, again. Looking down at the box, Eve ran her hand over the top, and a light filled her vision…

* * *

_"Eve… Eve, I'm hungry," a little boy with bright brown eyes moaned as he looked up at his sister. The boy seemed to be about seven years old. He was incredibly thin due to the poverty he and his sister lived in. He wore ragged clothes that were far too large for him and that covered his bony stature. _

_ His sister was not faring any better. _

_ Her eyes claimed to be thousands of years old, although she was only sixteen. She was frail and weak, and had the calloused hands of a tavern servant-girl. She was also clad in rags, and her body screamed of malnourishment._

_ The boy's sister bent down to his level, adjusting his coat and wrapping him in a scarf. "I know, Matthew, I know. I'm going to get you something to eat as soon as I finish working, darling. Perhaps there are still some berries left in the woods. We could go look together, alright?" She asked her little brother, smiling at him. _

_ He gave her a small smile back, and nodded._

_ "Alright. I'll see you later tonight, darling. Stay safe," Eve told her brother, giving him a hug. "I love you."_

_ His tiny arms wrapped around her, as well. "I love you too, Eve."_

* * *

_ Matthew was lying in the haystack Eve had assembled for him in a corner of a stable they were currently residing at. They had taken refuge in the filthy stable in effort to escape the harsh winter storm. Eve's brother was covered with a thin quilt and sweat beaded his face as a result of a fever that had been grasping his body for four days as of now. His illness was getting worse. He would die soon if nothing was to be done, and Eve knew that._

_ Wiping away his sweat as he slept, Eve held back the tears that yearned to be shed. She had to do it. She had to accept the offer. If she didn't, Matty would die. It was time._

_ At that, Eve got up and wrapped herself in her shawl. Giving her brother one last glance, she headed out into the snow, making her way to the tavern._

* * *

_ "William," Eve spoke, grabbing the attention of the burly tavern owner. He turned around and looked at her, and a smirk instantly made its way to his features. _

_ "Well hello, lovely. What brought you here at such late hours?" He asked as he made his way over to her. The tavern was completely empty, as it was closing time. There was nobody around. Eve was in his territory._

_ Licking her dry lips, Eve locked eyes with him. "I want to accept your offer," She informed him, cutting to the chase._

_ William raised a bushy eyebrow. "You do, do ya? Well what made ya change yer mind, Eve? I know you wouldn't just give in that easily. So go ahead, what do I gotta do for ya?" He asked tauntingly._

_ Eve lifted up her head, trying to appear confident although her heart was beating at an incredible rate in her fear. "My brother is sick. I want you to provide him with a doctor. If he ends up alive and well, then I accept your offer," she explained._

_ Instead of answering her right away, William grasped Eve's waist with one beefy hand, drawing her to him and placing his fowl lips upon her own. Eve began to beat at his shoulder, but stopped herself, afraid he'd withdraw from her deal. So instead she balled up his tunic in her fist, trying not to vomit at the taste of ale on his lips. He pulled away a centimeter, looking into her eyes slyly. "You got yourself a deal, Ms. Dawn. Or shall I say, Mrs. Allington?" He teased, drawing her closer. Eve pressed her lips into a line, not responding, her jaw set. "Well then, I shall fetch a doctor for your brother. But first…" he began as he removed Eve's shawl. "How about a trial of what's to come? Before I seal our deal," he taunted her, removing her dress._

_ And Eve pulled through, fighting back the tears and the protest. It was all she could do._

* * *

_ Matthew was healed and up and about again. He was being fed regularly, and that fact alone was what put Eve through her deal. Toothiana had been visiting day after day, trying to get Eve to withdraw from her soon-to-come wedding. But they both knew that there was no way out of it. Eve had made her deal and William had done his part. Matthew was well, again, and Eve finally had to marry the abusive, terrible tavern-owner. So, after much protest and pleaded cries, Toothiana finally accepted Eve's decision. _

_ Toothiana had taken care of Eve and her brother practically all their lives. There wasn't much she could do when it came to feeding them, but she always tried. Mostly, she was there to give them hope. She brought them their memories of their parents when times became particularly hard, and she would make sure they always had the comfort of happy thoughts. She had guarded them since birth, and swore to continue doing so._

_ Now, though, it seemed like Toothiana could do nothing to help. Eve was to marry William, the man she had been working for since the age of thirteen, the man that harassed her day by day in his attempt to get her to marry him. Eve had fought against him for so long. She had given it everything she had. And now it seemed as if none of that ever mattered. Now it seemed like everything she fought for was simply tossed aside and thrown away. Because there was no avoiding what was to come._

_ Eve was to marry William Allington._

* * *

_ The wedding dress was silk, with lace delicately veiling it. Eve wore her necklace passed down to her by her mother- a green stone guarded by delicate silver, all hanging on a silky chain. Eve had been fed enough to fit into the wedding gown, although she and her brother were still incredibly thin from years of poverty. _

_ Matthew wore formal attire that hid the bruises William had given him. Eve had tried so hard to prevent those bruises from occurring, but William -even when drunk- was one-hundred times stronger than herself. The past few weeks had been hell. Matthew was constantly experiencing episodes of depression and anxiety with the thought of what he had unintentionally driven his sister to do. For a boy of seven, Matthew carried the stresses and grief of a seventy-year old man. _

_ Eve was also bruised intensely beneath her gown, both mentally and physically. Since she and Matty had moved in with William, they had both been abused beyond their limits. Eve tried her hardest to protect her brother, but she could only do so much, at times._

_ And now here she was, throwing both her and her brother's life away. In a few moments, Eve would be married to William. She would lose everything. She would hand herself over to a man that would cause nothing but harm to both her and her little brother._

_ No. She couldn't think like this. She had to do this. She needed to pull through._

_ Eve was sitting in the back room of the church with her brother, fixing his attire to keep herself distracted. "Eve?" The little boy whispered as he looked up at her. Eve met his eyes._

_ "What is it, Sweetie?" She asked, trying to calm her panicked voice as she continued to tuck in Matty's shirt into his too-big trousers._

_ "I'm going to protect you from him," Matthew promised, holding onto Eve's hands to stop them from fiddling with his attire. "I promise you I will help," he told her, tears welling in his eyes. "It's my fault you have to marry him. It's all my-"_

_ "Hush, Matty. Don't say that, darling. None of this is your fault, alright?" She told him, squeezing his hands and then hugging him to her. "And we'll both protect each other, you hear me?" She told him as she pulled away slightly, looking into her little brother's big brown eyes. "I love you, Matty."_

_ He sniffled and nodded, biting his lip. _

_ "Be strong, Matthew. Remember that, always. Be as strong as you can be," Eve reminded him._

_ He nodded again and suddenly they could hear William speaking. Matthew gasped and Eve stood up, at attention. William's voice was muted, but it sounded urgent. It was coming from another room next to theirs. Curiosity overcoming her, Eve went over to the wall separating her from the tavern-owner, and pressed her ear against it, listening. Matty did the same. _

_ "-take her and kill her. It's the only way I can take 'er fortune!" William's voice rang out. Eve's breath caught in her throat, and her eyes went wide, but she listened on._

_ "So it's true," another man's voice spoke. "The Dawn's fortune ain't a myth."_

_ Fortune? What on earth were they talking about? Matthew looked at Eve questioningly, but she shrugged and they listened on. Eve tried to control her pounding heart which was beating loudly in her ears. Who was William going to kill? Eve wondered, although she had a gut wrenching feeling in her stomach that she already knew exactly who the tavern-owner was talking about. _

_ "You bet it's true. Just finished talkin' with the banker. 'E said that the kid's father left them a fortune. Supposed to go to Matthew when the little brat's old enough. I heard about the money 'e left behind. S'why I've been trying to marry Eve f'r so long. Won't be needin' her once this marriage is done 'n over with. All the money will go to me. Then I'll kill both the little grunts," William explained with a laugh. His sick laughter was joined by his companion._

_ "Yer a genius, Will. So, I'll gather Thomas an' we'll all get the dirty work done once the weddin' is over," the other man said. "What're ya gonna tell the kids t'get 'em somewhere quiet?" The man asked William._

_ "Simple. I will just tell them that I have a surprise for them and that they need to follow me if they want it," William answered. At that, the two men laughed hysterically._

_ "Eve!" Matty whispered urgently. "Oh God, Eve, what are we going to do?" He asked her, his eyes filled with fear and panic. "Are they talking about us? Are they going to-" Matty cut himself off, his breathing going erratic._

_ Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Eve looked around the room of the church they were in, trying to look for a way out where they couldn't get caught. There was an old window. Picking up Matthew, Eve brought him over to the window, and set him down on the floor, looking into his eyes. "We're going to run, Matty. There's another town not too far. It's called Burgess. If we can make it there, we can live there and hide and…" Eve tried to explain. She knew that Burgess would be a long way away, especially since they would be travelling through the forest. It was their only chance, though. They needed to run away. They had to. "And he won't find us," Eve finished, giving her brother a smile. "I promise you we'll be safe," Eve told her brother._

_ His face pale with fear, Matthew nodded. Eve turned her attention to the window. She undid the metal clasp closing the window, and pushed the heavy window outwards. A burst of ice cold air rushed in, chilling both Eve and Matthew._

_ Once she was holding onto Matthew's hand Eve looked at her little brother. "Let's go."_

* * *

_ They had been running for only a few minutes when they heard gunshots. The siblings both gasped and ran impossibly faster, trying to escape. They could hear William and his companions shouting from behind them._

_ Eve had discarded her shoes before they left so she could run faster, and she had ripped pieces off of the bottom of her dress and wrapped it on her feet and ankles for protection. The two children had left the church right after that, and were now deep in the woods, a good distance away from their village. William could kill them now and nobody would ever find out. How he had managed to track them down, Eve had no idea._

_Oh, how she wished Toothiana were there to help._

_But Eve remained brave. She knew she had to if she wanted her brother to live. Matthew was breathing heavily beside her as they ran through the woods. He was still weak from his illness, and Eve knew he wouldn't be able to run for much longer. They were running uphill, along the edge of a cliff that overlooked endless forest. Matthew's strength was quickly draining, Eve knew that much. But they had to take this path if they wanted to make it to Burgess._

_More gunshots rang through the forest, and Matthew whimpered, holding back tears as he squeezed Eve's hand._

_ Eve was freezing, and her feet were slightly numb and stinging cut from the snow she ran upon. She feared that she'd lose her feet after this. But Eve knew she couldn't stop running. She needed to protect her brother._

_ More gunshots rang in the silence, and Matthew was crying, now. He tried desperately for Eve not to see his tears, but Eve caught it. _

_She stops running, but only for a second. Quickly, she faces the her brother. "Come," she whispers with her arms outstretched as she pants quietly, keeping her breath steady- not allowing any trace of fear to make it to the surface._

_Matthew knows he has no time to argue, so he goes into her arms, and Eve lifts him up, holding him tight against her chest as she ran. It's straining, now. The breaths she takes burn, and her feet have lost all feeling. Her arms quiver with the added weight, but- somehow- she continues to run._

_Because if she doesn't, he'll die._

_They both will._

_She hears them now. They're not far off. Their voices are clear, and Eve can hear every word as if they were right next to her. Eve stops running. She knows she won't make it. Swallowing back her tears, Eve puts Matthew down. She gives her brother a smile, and puts her hands on his shoulders, looking into his brown eyes for the last time._

_ "Matthew, dear I need you to go hide, alright? I need you to hide in the woods. Climb one of the trees like you do during the summertime, and stay up in there. Don't let anybody see you. Hide in one of the pine trees," Eve commanded him, her voice cracking with the tears she was holding back. "And whatever you do, don't come to me, alright? No matter what you hear or see _do not _come back. Hide in a tree until you know you're alone. Hide until they're gone. And then when you're alone go to Burgess. If things turn out alright I'll… I'll be there, too. When you get there, go find help. Tell them what William is trying to do," Eve instructed her brother- who was sobbing more than ever, now._

_ More gunshots sounded, and Eve could hear William come closer._

_ "Go!" She whispered, giving her brother a quick, tight hug. "Be brave, Matthew! Stay strong for me!" She told him, pushing her brother gently forward. _

_ With one last look at his sister, Matthew ran off. Eve watched him until he was gone. She waited for William's shouts to grow nearer, and once she knew he had seen her, she took off. She ran until she found herself at the edge of the cliff, trapped. A dead end._

_ "Hello there, Ms. Dawn," a William taunted from behind her once he had caught up. "Turn around, now," he ordered her._

_ Eve obliged, swallowing back the lump in her throat. Once she had completely turned to face her enemy, she found herself eye to eye with a gun- wielded by none other than William. His friends, Thomas and a man that Eve recognized as Quigley were both backing him up, guns in their possessions and aimed at her, as well. Eve couldn't help but release a quiet whimper. Adrenaline was coursing through Eve's system, making her want to throw up. Her heart was working overtime as Eve could feel her life flashing before her eyes._

_ There was no way she'd make it out of this one. _

_ "Where's your brother?" William growled, glaring at the girl. _

_ Eve opened her mouth and took a shaky breath. "He's gone, William. You'll never find him. You'll never get our father's money," Eve told him, trying to sound brave. _

_ William and his goons laughed. "Oh, good. I always love hunting. It'll be fun to find your brother in these woods and shoot him like a deer," William taunted, making Eve want to collapse right there in front of him. But Eve kept her confidence. "Where is he, Eve? Hiding up in a tree like a little monkey?" William joked, making Eve's heart skip a beat. _

_ "We're not married," Eve hissed, trying to find fault with William's plan. "You have no access to our fortune."_

_ "Yes indeed, I am not married to you but I am still proposed to you, my dear. So once both you and Matthew are dead the money can go to no one but me. After a little persuasion I'm sure I can trick the dumb banker into handing it over," William explained. "Well, then. It was nice chatting, Ms. Dawn. But I must go find your brother," William said with mock exasperation. He lifted his rifle so it was aimed at Eve's chest. "Goodbye," he hissed, and pulled the trigger._

_ That gunshot was the loudest thing Eve had ever heard. _

_ And the pain was the worst she ever felt._

_ And the fall down the cliff was the longest thing she'd ever endured._

_ Now here she laid, her blood pooling around her and her body completely paralyzed. How she was still alive, she had no idea. But she knew it wouldn't last long._

_ She heard more gunshots. Heard Matthew's screaming. _

_ Oh, God. No, please, no!_

_ The full moon in the sky radiated its light onto Eve, bathing her limp body in its eerie glow. Eve's blood looked black against her pale skin in the dark night. There was so much pain. So, so much pain. Eve's head was screaming with headache and her chest was bathed with nauseating discomfort. Eve could hardly breath, her broken bones not allowing her to. Now her vision was fading away, going dark. _

_ Oh my God, Eve was dying. _

_A fluttering of wings sounded beside her, and a hand held hers. "Eve… Eve, hold on, Sweetie. I- I'm going to get some help," Toothiana's voice called to her, shaky, filled with stifled sobs._

_Eve managed to grasp onto the fairy's hand, stopping the Guardian from her departure. "No… no, it's too late. Please, don't go. Stay here… stay here… I'm so scared. I need you here. Just until it's over," Eve whimpered, her voice barely that of a whisper. "Protect him. Find Matthew. Protect him, please. I need you to do this for me," Eve begged, giving the woman her last wish._

_Pain- so much pain. Her skull reverberated with a sharp headache. She could feel her veins being drained of blood as it pooled around her, failing to slow, failing to cease. Everything was so painful… she wanted to sleep. She didn't want to go on._

_She heard Toothiana sob, could feel her shaking as she gripped Eve's hand. "Yes… yes, I will. I promise you I will," the Tooth Fairy obliged, continuing to sob._

_Eve wanted to see her- wanted to look at her one last time. But her vision was mostly dark, now. Her eyes stopped seeing. Eve hid her panic as she offered her friend a weak smile. "Th…ank-you… thank-you, Toothiana," she whispered._

_And the last of her breath drew out of her lungs._

* * *

When Eve came back from the depths of her memories, she could feel tears streaking down her face. She lifted a shaky hand, and touched her fingers to her damp cheeks, then removed them, looking at the tears that covered them with shock.

Closing her gaping mouth, Eve took a deep breath, feeling slightly dizzy.

"It's awful, I know. I'm so sorry, darling," Pitch Black told her comfortingly, making her jump with surprise. She had forgotten she wasn't alone.

Eve found her voice. "My… my brother… did he live? I mean…" Eve said, trying to reword her question. "Did he get away from William? Did he make it?" She asked the dark man, looking into his yellow eyes.

Pitch nodded, but a grave look enveloped his features. "He did. But Toothiana did not help him to. He made it to Burgess, and lived there for two years, all alone. He couldn't take the grief… when he turned nine, the poor boy- he…" Pitch broke off, looking deep in sadness.

"He what?" Eve asked urgently, making her way over to Pitch. "Pitch, what did he do?" Eve asked, her voice cracking as she held back tears.

"Matthew killed himself… He slit his own throat. I'm so sorry, Eve. Toothiana, she didn't stop him. She didn't try," Pitch explained.

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no-

No, this was not possible. He wouldn't do that. Not her Matty. Not at such a young age. She told him to be strong, she told him to be brave! She _told him!_

"Why?" Eve shrieked, letting her sobs escape, now. "Why didn't Toothiana help? She helped, before! Why did she stop?" Eve yelled, sobbing heavily.

"Because she blamed him for your death. She didn't want to help him, because she believed that he was the cause of your death," Pitch whispered acutely.

"How do you know all this?" Eve asked, trying desperately to not believe what he was telling her. None of this could be true!

"I can see people's nightmares, Eve. I can control them and see them. And I saw Toothiana openly admit that she let your brother die," Pitch retorted.

Eve's eyes grew wide as realization hit. "You… you've been the one giving me nightmares? They were of my past, weren't they? I… Couldn't remember most of them. But they were of my death, right?" Eve asked, trying to control her tears.

Pitch nodded roughly. "Yes. I was trying to warn you, my dear. I was trying to help you remember, since the Guardians would not."

Letting out another sob, Eve sank down to her knees, clenching her messy black hair in her fists. Why? Why didn't the Guardians help? Why didn't they tell her the truth? Pitch went on his knees in front of her, and placed a bony hand on her back, trying to soothe her.

As much as she didn't want to believe it, Eve knew Pitch was the good guy. She knew that he was her only friend. The Guardians had been using her, just like Pitch had told her. Everything the Guardians had done for her was all an act- a _lie_.

The forest spirit felt a new rage grasp her- a viscous rage that she had never felt before in her life. She would make the Guardians pay for what they did to her. She would make Toothiana pay for what she did to her brother.

Calming her sobs, Eve looked up into Pitch's eyes. His golden eyes met her blue ones, and Eve's gaze hardened as she spoke to him. "I want revenge on the Guardians. I want them to_ die_."

* * *

**Dun dun DUNNNN o: oooooh what's gonna happen next? **

**Tell me your guesses, I'm interested!**

**Wow you guys, thankyou all for the reviews on the last chapter! n_n I'm am currently in my Spring Break holiday as of now, so I've prepared many chapters for all of you. I actually think this story will be done in about a week! **

**So I'm going to take some time to respond to certain reviewers.**

**To ****Nachi023Len:** **Oh wow! Thankyou so much for drawing Eve Dawn! I'd LOVE to see it if you don't mind! :D I am so honoured, I didn't think I'd get any fan art out of this story! If you could inbox me a link to the picture, I'd appreciate it! And by the way, I SO accept your challenge! Just give me a date, and I'll do it ;D (just not today, because I don't wanna post three chapters in one day). Also, I have NO FREAKING IDEA how on Earth you guessed the rape scene! XD Like geez, that's some good guessing, I'm really impressed! Didn't think that anybody would expect that, so kudos to you! Lastly, if you REALLY want a Jack FrostxReader fanfic, then I guess I could make one n_n But I think it'd be cool if you inboxed me specific things you want in the main character and I could work on what requests you have! Thankyou for your lovely review!**

**To kimikokimono: Thankyou for pointing out the error! I appreciate it! I went ahead and fixed it! And I'm so glad you enjoy the story! n_n **

**Thankyou to all my reviewers! I appreciate the support, and I LOVE getting notifications every time there's a new review. It makes me feel amazing :3 so yes, thankyou my lovelies.**

**I'm going to be posting a picture of Eve Dawn by the next chapter. The link will be in my bio, so look forward to that!**

**Goodbye, my dearies!~**


	17. Chapter 17

Jack was panicking, now. He had searched the whole forest for Eve, but could not even find a hint of where she could be. During his search, he had stopped by the Jamie and his friend's houses to ask if they had seen Eve around. None of them had. Jamie told Jack he'd keep an eye out, and Jack continued to search the forest of Burgess. There were no caves or hideouts or any places that Pitch could have taken her- or, none that Jack could see.

The white-haired teen's mind was working overtime in his worry. Where was Eve? Why would Pitch have taken her? What was he doing to her? Oh, Man in Moon this was all Jack's fault! Pitch probably took Eve to get revenge on Jack and the Guardians. He shouldn't have left Eve alone at her cottage. He should have taken her to the Pole with him. She hadn't wanted to go home. She wanted to stay with Jack, but he was too focused on his paranoia of getting her sick, again. He wanted her home and away from him so she could warm up. Jack had left her, and now she was gone. What if she was hurt? What if the Guardians couldn't reach her on time? Or what if something worse happened? What if he'd never be able to see her alive, again?

No, Jack would not let that happen. He would find her. He would search the world until he finds her.

When the winter spirit's hour ran out, he forced himself to head back to the cottage to meet up with the other Guardians. Maybe one of them found her. Maybe she was safe at home, waiting for Jack to return to her. Maybe everything was all right. Jack knew one thing, for sure- whether the Guardians were there or not, if Jack sees Eve again he's going to kiss her. He's going to hold her to him and make sure she never goes missing, again. And he'll make sure she's _never_ hurt.

Jack needed to see her, again. He needed to see her more than anything.

Wind whipped through winter teen's snowy hair as he rode the Wind the fastest he could back to Eve's home. When he arrived, his heart dropped at what he saw. The Guardians were all standing outside of Eve's home, each of them empty-handed.

Jack landed and looked at his friends desperately. They all looked downcast. "Did you guys find anything?" Jack asked urgently, his ice blue eyes hopeful.

Toothiana looked at Jack for the first time since she told him the truth, back at North's workshop. Her violet eyes were apologetic. "Nothing… not even a sign of where she could be," the Tooth Fairy answered him, her voice basked with sadness. "I'm so sorry, Jack."

The winter spirit felt his eyes burn and his breath go shallow. His shoulders lowered as he looked over at Eve's cottage. "We can't give up," he murmured. "Not so soon. We have to keep on searching," Jack convinced his fellow Guardians. "I'm not giving up," he told them flatly as he looked at them all, determination set in his eyes.

Bunnymund stepped forward. "None of us said we were givin' up, mate," the Easter Bunny retorted. "In fact," he began as he walked over to Jack. "I've got an idea. D'ya have anythin' that might have Red's scent on it? Somethin' she touched, maybe?" Bunny asked, his green eyes searching Jack. "Somethin' she wore would be better. 'Er scent would be stronger if she had a lot'a contact with it," Bunny explained. "I've been searchin 'er house for somethin' with her scent strong on it, but 'seems like she hasn't been sleepin' in 'er bed, much. Or usin' anythin' in the house. It all smells too much like the woods."

His eyebrows furrowing at the odd request, Jack instinctively put his hand at his hoodie pocket where he had stored a piece of Eve's sweater. He pulled out the fabric, holding the soft wooly fabric in his long fingers as he looked at it, sadly. He looked up into Bunny's green eyes, and held out the wool. "Would this work?" Jack asked. "It's… it's a piece of the sweater I gave Eve. She was wearing it when I last saw her," Jack explained, solemnly.

Bunny took the fabric from Jack's hand, holding it in his large paws. He sniffed it, and his ears perked. "This is perfect, mate," he mumbled as he sniffed the fabric again, his nose twitching. The tall, intimidating Easter Bunny looked no different than a regular rabbit at that moment. His tall ears were twitching involuntarily, and he looked around the forest, sniffing the air. "The smell is strong on ya, Frostbite. I need ya to air out or cover yerself in snow or somethin'. Can't focus when y'smell so much like 'er," Bunny told the winter spirit, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the sky in pure concentration.

Jack obeyed, using the Northern Wind to blow a strong gust at himself after he backed away from Bunny, a bit. The teen then covered his clothes in a thin layer of frost just to be sure the scent was muffled so Bunny could concentrate.

Could Bunny really pick up on Eve's scent? Would that work? I mean, Bunnymund was still a bunny rabbit, but Jack didn't think he'd be… so much like one. The Guardian just seemed so human sometimes Jack forgot that he was indeed a bunny.

But would he find Eve? How far could he smell her from? Jack felt a large hand on his back, and he turned to find his eyes meeting North's comforting ones. "Do not worry, Jack," the Russian comforted. "We will find Little Red."

Swallowing back the lump in his throat, Jack nodded and forced a smile at his friend. North was like a father to Jack sometimes, although he'd never admit that out loud. Just knowing that the older Guardian was by his side comforted Jack in times like these.

Suddenly, Bunnymund stood up straight, his eyes wide. He looked at the Guardians, and they all looked back at him with attentive features. "I found 'er. It's faint, but I've got it," the pooka told them all.

Toothiana spoke first. "Then let's go get her!"

Bunnymund shook his head. "Nah, Sheila, I don' think that's the best idea. Red is with Pitch. 'Es got 'er memories. She probably knows the truth, now. And knowin' Pitch, the drongo's probably corrupting 'er right as we're speakin'. Jack an' I will go. I think she'll be more comfortable 'round us," the Easter Bunny explained to his companions.

North pulled out his sabers. "This is Pitch we are dealing with, Bunnymund. It is matter of _all _Guardians. We all go," the burly Russian spoke sternly.

"North, y'gotta listen to me, mate," Bunny spoke, stepping towards his superior. "Pitch is-"

"This is my fault!" Tooth exclaimed, flying in front of North and staring down Bunny determinedly. "This has nothing to do with any of you! It's my mess, and the only way it can all be solved is if I go to her and apologize. It started with me, and it has to end with me," Tooth told the pooka, tears in her eyes. Sandy was frantically waving behind her, trying to stop the three friends from arguing, but to no avail.

Bunnymund stood taller, glaring into Tooth's eyes as he ignored the golden man. "I don' believe she'll be too keen on seein' ya, mate. Pitch probably told 'er what happened to 'er brother. An' I don't think she's quite ready to listen to apologies."

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew about, stopping the Guardians from their argument. "Would you all just _shut up!?_" Jack yelled, tapping his staff harshly to the ground as he glared at his fellow Guardians. "While you're all arguing, Eve is in danger! We are _not _going to waste any time on this!" The teen exclaimed, furious. "Bunny is right. Eve will not want to see all of us. Pitch has probably shown Eve her memories. She's not stable, right now. It would be dangerous if we all went," Jack explained. "Eve is most comfortable around Bunny and me. We'll go, and we'll bring her back. There's no time for arguing, because the longer we argue, the chances are less likely of us bringing Eve back alive!"

The Guardians fell silent. Tooth looked ashamed, her hands intertwined and held in front of her chest as she struggled not to cry. Jack felt his chest go heavy. Eve was Tooth's friend. But Tooth's life would be at risk if she were to come along. No good would come from it.

Bunny was the first to break the silence. "Alright… so the rest of ya wait at the pole," Bunny commanded. "Jack and I will bring Red home safe 'n sound," the pooka promised.

North gave a stiff nod and pulled out a snow globe from his pocket. He threw it to the ground, and a portal opened, revealing the workshop. North was the first to step in, leaving behind the wintry forest. Jack swiftly flew over to Tooth before she could leave, and put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Her turned his friend to face him. "We'll get her back, Tooh," the winter spirit reassured her. "I know how much she means to you. Everything will be sorted out, I promise," Jack told Toothiana, his blue eyes looking into her violet ones comfortingly. Tooth bit her lip, and nodded, hugging Jack. The white-haired boy hugged her back, his cold arms wrapping around her feathered body.

"Please be careful, Jack," Tooth whispered. "And… tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I'm so _so _sorry," Tooth asked her friend, pulling away to look into his eyes.

Jack searched his friend's eyes, and nodded. At that, Tooth flew quickly into the portal. Sandy came up to Jack and put a small hand on his arm, giving the winter spirit a nod before he too went through the portal.

It closed behind the golden man, and Jack turned to look at Bunnymund. The pooka's green eyes met Jack's, and he stored Eve's sweater in one of the pockets on his belt before he spoke.

"Alright, mate. Let's go find Red."

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter! And sorry for not updating for so long! I've been busy with school. But yes, thankyou guys for the reviews and follows. n_n you guys are about to experience some extreme action! *intense music***

**I'll try and update tomorrow! But try is the key word here, folks! It's gonna be a long chapter, so I don't know when it'll be up!**

**Until then, please review! C: thankyou my lovely readers. Your support means the world! **

**Goodbye, my dearies!~**


	18. Chapter 18

"Alright, Ms. Dawn. Let us try that again, shall we?"

Eve nodded, closing her eyes as she drew a deep breath in through her nose. Facing her palms downwards, Eve let the tingling within her arms overtake her senses until she felt a strong force pulling her arms down. The forest spirit fought this force, trying to take control over it as she pulled her arms back up slowly, her palms closing as if she were grabbing an invisible handle. Finally claiming dominance over the opposing force, Eve held the power of it within her, just as Pitch had taught her.

The earth rumbled beneath her feet, and a distant cracking could be heard as the ground succumbed to Eve, slowly cracking open to her. There was pain in Eve's arms, now- indescribable pain. The raven-haired girl ignored it, though. Pain is honorable. She was doing this for Matthew. For him….

The Guardians are liars. They say they protect children, but all they care about is themselves. The only thing those selfish beings cared about was being believed in. Eve's brother died, even though he believed in all of them. Eve and her brother both went through hell. They were orphaned, poor, sick, _dying. _Where were the precious _Guardians. _They speak of helping children, but those are merely words. Those idiots did not deserve their title. The Guardians say they protect and bring wonder, hope, dreams, memories… so why did Matthew and Eve have to die? Why did their strongest believers get treated like garbage?

How could those filthy creatures claim to be the good guys? How could they claim to be doing the right thing? They cast Pitch, one of their own, into the darkness. They treated him like disease, refusing to give him any recognition or help. The Boogeyman merely did his job. That is more than the Guardians have ever done.

Three hundred years. Eve had died believing. She left her brother behind in a cruel world, hoping and praying that he could receive some sort of guidance. That was her _dying wish_. But her last breath was wasted, because Matthew died, anyways. He had died feeling alone and miserable. Where were they?! Where were the Guardians when Eve and her brother needed them the most?!

Finally, the earth split open, and tall, thick green vines shot out from the crevices, reaching out towards the roof of the cave. The vines moved where Eve gestured, shooting left and right with the motions of the forest spirit's hands. Eve felt a sharp pain within her head, pressing against the walls of her skull as if it were trying to escape. She dismissed the pain, grinding her teeth together as she returned the giant vines back to the ground, sealing the crust behind them as they left.

Suddenly, all the power left Eve's arms, and she collapsed, falling to the floor where she weakly kept her body off the ground with her arms- which were now shaking. The red-cloaked girl was panting, her pulse shaking her head and making itself evident in her vision as the scenery around her pulsed with the beat of her racing heart. Droplets of blood suddenly dripped onto the floor, and Eve put a hand to her nose, and pulled it away to find the crimson liquid covering her fingers.

"Eve, darling! That was phenomenal!" Pitch exclaimed as he made his way over to his pupil, helping her onto her wobbly feet. Eve gave him a smile as he handed her a handkerchief.

"Thank you," Eve replied, accepting the cloth as she pressed it to her nose, wiping away the blood.

"You did excellent for your first time, Ms. Dawn. I'm sure that next time there will be no nosebleeds. It shall not cause you nearly as much pain," Pitch told the forest spirit. "I wish it could be painless," he said almost woefully.

Eve shook her head. "I do not mind the pain. It will be nothing compared to what the Guardians will feel when I get my hands on them," Eve hissed.

Giving a sad smile, Pitch placed his hands on Eve's shoulders. "I believe you can do it, darling. And I promise you I will fight with you until the end," Pitch whispered, his yellow eyes meeting Eve's blue ones.

Fighting back the tears in her eyes, Eve hugged Pitch. "Thank you so much, Pitch. I don't know what I'd do if you hadn't had told me the truth…" Eve mumbled. She pulled away and fingered a knife that Pitch had given her. It was tied to her dress, right at her thigh for easy reach. "How much longer do we have?" Eve asked, looking into Pitch's eyes.

At that moment, a neigh could be heard echoing throughout the cave. A fearling galloped through the air towards its master, circling him. Pitch steadied the creature, and looked into its molten, slit eyes that glowed with a yellow light. A smile suddenly made its way to Pitch's face.

"They're coming," he spoke, looking at Eve. "The bunny and Frost. They are heading to us as we speak."

Eve's eyes widened. "And Tooth? Is she not coming, as well?" Eve asked, gritting her teeth.

"It appears not," Pitch drawled, petting his fearling as it blew air out of its nose harshly.

"The coward…" Eve mumbled, drawing her knife from its spot and running a finger along the blade. "Are we ready?" She asked the Boogeyman, gazing at her knife as she felt the strong urge to shed Guardian blood.

With a smirk, Pitch snapped his fingers, and the black horse disappeared. "More ready than we'll ever be, love."

* * *

Jack flew through the cold winter air of Vermont, following the bunny that rapidly ran below him. How Bunnymund had managed to track Eve's scent this far, Jack had no idea. They had been traveling for hours, now, not even slowing down in their journey.

Suddenly, Bunny stopped. Jack halted in the air, and soared down, landing gracefully next to the older Guardian. "What's up?" He asked, panting as he looked at the tall pooka.

The Easter Bunny raised a paw, silencing the Guardian of Fun. His green eyes were searching the forest they were in, ears perked up as he pulled out the piece of the sweater that he kept in his belt. He sniffed it, and looked around the forest, again. "We're close," he reported, slowing his panting from his long journey. "Very close," he added.

Jack gripped his staff tight in his hand. "Which way?" He asked, ready to move, again.

Bunny sniffed the air, again, then looked East of where they were standing. "That way," he spoke, suddenly setting off in a sprint.

Jack followed behind, flying through the air as he dodged trees in his attempt to keep up with Bunnymund. Soon they found themselves at the opening of a cave almost completely hidden by trees. The two Guardians stopped, and Bunnymund looked at Jack as he wielded his boomerangs. "Y'ready, mate?" The Australian pooka asked.

Swallowing back his anxiety at what he might find, Jack nodded. "Let's go," he responded, walking into the cave, followed by Bunnymund.

It was extremely dark, and Jack held his staff forward, willing it to glow its light blue light so Bunny and Jack could make their way through the cave. The stone walls were damp, and the ceiling of the cave went up higher than Jack could see with their limited light source. Water dripped from the ceiling, making plopping noises as the moisture met the cave floor every few seconds.

Bunny and Jack walked through the cave, Bunny in front as he sniffed the air, leading them closer and closer to Eve as he mumbled about how the thick scent of the cave almost blocked out Eve's. After walking for a few minutes, they reached a forked path within the cave, and Jack stopped walking.

Taking a deep breath, Jack spoke. "Which way, Bunnymund?" He asked his superior, who was frozen to his spot.

A voice suddenly rang out in the cave.

"Hello, Jack," a girl's voice called.

Feeling his heart launch into his throat, Jack turned around to see Eve standing behind him and Bunnymund, a few yards away. Jack almost dropped his staff as he gazed at the red-cloaked girl. Her hood was drawn up, and her clothes were more tattered than before. She looked pale, from what Jack could see of her, and she remained completely still, not moving towards the Guardians.

"Eve," Jack breathed out, his mouth going dry. "Eve, you're alive!" He exclaimed as he began to make his way over to her.

Bunny's giant paw pressed into Jack's chest as the Guardian of Hope stopped the winter spirit. "Don't move, mate. Somethin' isn't right," Bunnymund mumbled so only Jack could hear.

Eve chuckled, picking up on what Bunnymund said, anyways. "You should listen to him, Jack. Quite the smart bunny, isn't he?" She asked, her voice so dark that Jack couldn't even recognize her.

Jack's eyebrows furrowed together, and he stepped towards Eve, ignoring Bunny's paw. "Eve, what are you talking about? What happened?" He asked, trying to make sense out of what was going on.

"You shouldn't have come here, Frost," a British-accented voice spoke from behind him.

And suddenly they were being ambushed. Fearlings came from everywhere, attacking Bunny and Jack. Eyes wide and veins filled with adrenaline, Jack took off into the air, icing any black sand his eyes could spot. Bunny was grunting from below him as he fought off the nightmares, as well, boomerangs flying about and egg bombs going off every now and then. They were incredibly outnumbered. There was no way they would win this fight. Bunny and Jack had to grab Eve and run away.

All of a sudden, a fearling ran into Jack, knocking his staff out of his hand, and the winter spirit plummeted down to Earth, gasping for breath, the air knocked out of his lungs from the harsh collision. He could hear Bunnymund scream his name, and that's what snapped Jack into focus. He looked around him for his staff as he free fell, and found it below him, falling towards the stone ground, sure to break if it were to make it to its destination. Pushing back his panic, Jack pulled his body in, trying to increase his speed as he dove for his staff.

Twenty feet away from the ground… Ten.

Jack stretched out his arm, fingers brushing against the wood material.

Five feet….

He grabbed the staff, and hugged it to his body to protect it from the crash as he met the stone ground with a sickening crack, landing on his left side. Jack yelled out in pain from the impact, his left arm definitely broken beneath him.

The winter spirit opened his eyes, ignoring the pain that traveled through his bruised and broken body. Jack forced himself onto his feet. He needed to find Eve. He needed to protect her from Pitch. He had to get them out of here.

Once he was standing, the Earth spinning around him as he could hear the blood rushing through his head, Jack looked around the cave as the chaos that surrounded him. Fearlings were everywhere, and Jack couldn't even see Bunny, anymore.

Cradling his broken arm against his chest, Jack shot ice at fearlings as he searched for Eve. He needed to help her.

Jack stumbled through the fight, using all his strength to shoot down as many nightmares as he could manage. Finally, a flash of red caught his vision as he found Eve standing amongst the chaos, looking at is all almost amusingly. The white-haired teen made his way to Eve, and called out to her.

"Eve! Eve, come on! We need to leave!" He called as he finally reached her, holding out his staff to her in an attempt to bring her to him.

Eve faced him, and their eyes met.

Jack felt a shiver travel through him as a cold fear enveloped his senses. This wasn't Eve. Not anymore.

"Eve…" He whispered almost desperately. Eve merely smirked deviously.

Suddenly, the Earth shook beneath Jack's bare feet, and vines shot out, grabbing the winter spirit and making him cry out in pain as it shifted the broken bone of his arm.

"No, Jack," Eve spoke, walking towards him. "I don't think I'll be coming with you. Not ever again," she said matter-of-factly, smirking at the look on Jack's face.

Jack could hear Bunnymund yell out in pain from behind him, and he looked at Eve pleadingly. "Eve, what happened to you?" He moaned out. The vines tightened around him as Eve's eyes flashed with anger, her hands seeming to bid the vines to tighten. "Please," he choked out. "Don't do this," Jack begged, starting to black out as the world around him grew dim.

"It's too late now, Frost," Eve's voice hissed. "Far, far too late."

And vines gagged the winter spirit, wrapping around his body completely.

The last thing he heard was the sound of boomerangs dropping to the floor.

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry I took weeks to update, I've been so busy!So this story is nearing its end. I'm going to try and update again some time this weekend, if you guys want. **

**Sorry for Evil!Eve, but I just have such a fun time making my characters die or go insane/evil. XD it's a guilty pleasure thing, if you guys were to read my original stories, you'd find that out quickly, haha. **

**So anyways, thank you guys for the support!**

**~Goodbye, dearies!**


	19. Chapter 19

"Wake up, mate. Come on, get up ya gumby!"

Jack stirred, eyes slowly blinking open. He instantly regretted regaining consciousness, though, because his arm screamed out in pain that traveled throughout his body with each pulse. The winter spirit moaned, shifting himself so he could sit up. A headache pounded within his skull, and a distant high pitch ringing filled his hearing.

"That's it, nice and easy," an Australian accent encouraged. Bunnymund? Jack looked around at where he was. Bars surrounded him, and Jack realized that the ground he was sitting on was swinging back and forth at every move the teen made. "How ya feelin', Frostbite?" Bunny asked, a tinge of worry in his gruff voice.

Jack pressed his right hand to his forehead roughly, trying to will the migraine away. "Eh, I've been better," he replied through his gritted teeth. Looking around him some more, Jack realized he was in a cage, suspended in the air. Bunnymund was to his right in a separate cage, looking at Jack cautiously. "Where the heck are we, Bunny?" Jack asked, eyebrows furrowed and eyes squinted from the pain in his head.

Bunnymund shifted in his cage, leaning back against the bars. "We're in Pitch's lair, mate. Hate 'ta tell ya this, Jack, but we sorta lost," the pooka spoke, a twinge of bitter humor lacing his tone.

Then it all came back. Eve. They had been looking for Eve. Jack fell from the air and broke his arm because he dropped his staff- well, got it knocked out of his grasp, but same thing, right? When he found Eve, she-

Oh no.

"Eve," Jack spoke, looking from the ground of his cage to Bunnymund's eyes. "Eve… she's turned on us," the winter spirit recalled, his voice revealing how hurt he felt. Bunny's green eyes softened, and Jack looked away, taking a deep breath. He had to get himself together. They needed to escape. And now Eve needed them more than ever. They needed a plan….

"Jack," Bunnymund spoke, snapping the winter spirit's attention back to the Guardian of Hope. "Mate… ya took quite the fall back there," Bunny recalled, eyeing Jack's arm warily. "How… how's yer arm?"

Jack swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Looking over at his limp arm, the winter spirit fought back the urge to cringe. "S'fine," he spoke, lying to the pooka. His arm was hanging limp by his side, and it made Jack shudder to think what it looked like without the material of his hoodie to shield it. Taking a deep breath, and holding it, Jack slowly rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, unable to hold back his wince and gasp at the electric, fire-like pain that came with the touch of his fingers. As the fabric of his hoodie slid up his swollen arm, it felt like the hoodie was made out of sharp, hot knives rather than cotton. The winter spirit had to stop rolling up his sleeve halfway through to push back his urge to vomit.

"Take it easy, mate," Bunny warned, trying to calm the Guardian of Fun. "Don't rush it," the pooka advised.

Biting his lower lip hard between his teeth, Jack grasped the hem of his sleeve, and pulled up sharply, willing the fabric to roll up all the way to his shoulder. The winter spirit bit down on his lip sharply as he let out a pained moan and whimper. His lip was bleeding now, and Jack released it, trying to even his breathing. He almost threw up at the sight of his arm.

It was bruised purple and green, and other unnatural colors. The bone was shifted awfully, and his arm was bent at an irregular angle. Jack took in deep, shaky breaths as he lightly touched his burning arm, letting the tip of his fingers skim over the skin that covered his broken bone.

"Jack," Bunnymund called, again.

The winter spirit looked up to see Bunnymund's arm reaching out of his cage, towards Jack's. A canteen and cloth was held in Bunny's large paw. Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "Wha-"

"Take them. Drink some water, then wet the cloth with it an' clean up yer arm. I'd tend to ya if I could, but," Bunnymund shrugged helplessly, offering a small, sad smile.

Jack smirked, letting out a breathy laugh as he shuffled to the edge of his cage, reaching out his good arm to accept Bunny's offering. "Thanks," he replied, leaning back against the bars of his cage, panting from the uncomfortable movement, gripping the cloth and canteen to his chest as if it were precious gold. Bunny instructed Jack through cleaning his arm, telling him what to do and where the broken bone was located so Jack could wrap it up with the wet cloth. It was an extremely painful procedure, but Jack pulled through, completely spent by the end of it all.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Jack spoke. "How do you know so much about medical stuff?" Jack asked, rolling his head to the side to gaze at Bunnymund wearily.

The rabbit smirked, picking at the pockets of his weaponless belt. "From m'past life. Knew 'lot 'bout medicines and whatnot," Bunny informed the winter spirit.

Jack smiled softly to himself as he looked down at his arm, fingering the cloth that wrapped his arm. It was odd to imagine Bunnymund providing aid to people. He couldn't imagine the stubborn, stuck-up bunny studying medicine and spending time with patients. It didn't seem like him at all. Maybe Jack didn't know as much about his fellow Guardians as he thought he did.

Then Jack imagined Bunny in a nurse's outfit, and broke down in a fit of laughter. Bunnymund jumped in his cage, startled, and Jack clutched at his stomach as he laughed.

"Bloody hell, ya dill, what're ya laughin' on about?" The pooka asked, looking at Jack like the teen had completely lost his marbles.

Jack snorted as he calmed his laughing, and cast Bunny a glance before he began chuckling again. "I could imagine you in a nurse's outfit," Jack breathed out between fits of laughter. "I bet you'd rock it," Jack teased before bursting out laughing, again.

Bunnymund twitched his nose indignantly, perking his ears up as he puffed out his furry chest. This only made Jack laugh more, and the pooka rolled his eyes, seeming flustered. "Y've lost it, mate. Completely gone loony," Bunny told the winter spirit.

Jack finally calmed his laughing, and leaned against the bars of his cage, taking a deep breath. Everything was quiet again. "Thanks, Bunny. For helping," Jack clarified, looking up at the top of his cage. "Thanks for everything you've ever done," Jack thanked his superior, fingering his makeshift cast, again.

"Ah, don't talk like we ain't gonna make it y'girl. We'll be fine," Bunnymund reassured, but there was doubt in his voice.

Jack smirked, and looked over at his friend. "Sure we will, Nurse Aster."

"Shut up, ya bloody Eskimo."

"Love you too, Cottontail," Jack retorted, smiling as he looked out his cage, observing the cave they were in. Thousands of cages hung around them, but they were all empty.

"Say, Jack," Bunnymund spoke. "Y'still got yer magic fairy wand with ya?" The pooka asked.

Jack suddenly sat up straight, looking around the cage he was in as his heart pounded.

"Didn't think so," Bunnymund answered himself before Jack could speak. The Guardian of Hope let out a sigh. "Pitch musta taken it. S'what he did with my boomerangs and eggs," Bunny spoke.

Jack felt his heart drop. What did Pitch and Eve have planned for them?

The winter spirit suddenly found his voice. "Bunny… if you have the chance to escape, take it," Jack ordered, making the Australian bunny snap his head towards the white-haired teen. Just as the older Guardian was about to speak, Jack cut him off. "No. Save it. As soon as you're out of this cage, I want you to use your tunnels to get back to North and the others. No matter what," Jack told the Guardian of Hope. Bunny's green eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Nah mate, yer bonkers. No way in Hell am I gonna-" Bunny spoke frantically, before the winter spirit cut him off yet again.

"Bunnymund, _listen to me_. I'm injured. The chances I'll get my staff and still be able to fly properly are zero to none. It's not possible," Jack spoke harshly, swallowing back the lump in his throat and willing away the tears that burned in his eyes. "You still have a chance. I need you to _promise me _that you'll escape, alright? Don't bring the others here. Don't come back for me," Jack instructed.

"Yer crazy," Bunnymund breathed, standing up in his cage as he walked as close as he could towards Jack, grabbing the bars of his own cage as he gazed at the winter spirit angrily. "Yer not gonna die, ya drongo. Stop talkin' like that. Just stop," Bunnymund ordered, his voice rising slightly in panic. He took a deep breath to calm himself as he looked down, away from Jack. "Stop talkin' like yer going to die," Bunnymund begged, looking back at the young Guardian.

Jack's lips tightened into a flat line as he gazed at the older Guardian, looking up into his green eyes. "You need to escape, Bunnymund. Better one dead than two," Jack pointed out, making the pooka cringe.

"Yer gonna live, Frostbite. I'm not gonna let you die," Bunny spoke, tightening his paw's grip around the bars of his blasted cage.

Jack smiled softly, letting out a breathy laugh. "Aw, you do care," he spoke, bloodied lips curling into his signature smirk.

Before the pooka could respond, a voice interrupted them.

"Why, look at who's awake!" the British-accented voice boomed happily. "Welcome to my lair, boys! Do you like what I've done with the place? A lot better than my last home, isn't it? Seems to be darker here," Pitch spoke, looking around the cave almost giddily.

"Pitch, ya bloody psycopath!" Bunny yelled walking to the edge of his cage and gripping the bars of it tight as he gazed at the Nightmare King, his green eyes filled with rage. "Let us outta here so I can give ya a piece of my mind you little-"

"Now, now, Aster. Calm your rage, I've got no use for you just yet," Pitch spoke, dismissing the pooka with a wave of his hand.

Suddenly, a figure walked up behind Pitch, clad in a red robe.

Eve.

Jack sat up in his cage, blue eyes looking at Eve, worriedly, scanning her for any physical injuries. Feeling himself relax when he saw that she was fine, Jack looked back at Pitch, who was now looking at the winter spirit with an amused look plastered upon his face.

"Now, Jack. I think it's time you get out of that cage, yes? You want to stretch out that arm of yours, I'm sure," Pitch spoke as he looked over at Eve. The forest spirit raised her head slightly, a passive look on her face. "He's all yours, love," Pitch spoke, moving aside to clear the view for Eve.

The forest spirit smirked, and raised a hand, willing vines to shoot out of the crust beneath Jack's cage, and directing them to break through the metal of the cage, grabbing the winter spirit, who cried out in pain as the strong vines wrapped around him. Bunnymund screamed out to the winter spirit, pulling at the bars of his cage uselessly as he tried to get to the winter spirit.

Eve controlled the vines, making them throw the winter spirit to the ground in front of her and Pitch. Jack yelled out in pain as his broken arm made contact with the rocky floor, further injuring the broken bone.

The white-haired teen scrambled onto his feet, swaying slightly as he looked at Pitch with pained, yet stone-serious eyes. Pitch laughed, circling the boy. Jack remained still, taking in shaky breaths as Pitch circled the teen like a shark would circle pray. The winter spirit looked over at Eve, and their eyes met.

The forest spirit rose her head, again, and looked away, her eyes watching Pitch as the British man paced. Suddenly, the Nightmare King shoved Jack to the ground, making the teen land harshly with a pained groan. Bunny yelled out for Jack, again.

"What's the matter, _Frost_? Can't fight back, can we?" Pitch taunted, smirking when the winter spirit slowly lifted himself up with his good arm, looking up at Pitch as his body involuntarily shook with pain. "Ah! That's right! How silly of me to forget. You can't really do much of anything without this, can you?" Pitch spoke as he pulled out Jack's shepherd's staff from his cloak, making the winter spirit's eyes widen. The staff was almost black in Pitch's grasp, ridden of it's bright blue lights. Pitch smirked at Jack's reaction, and twirled the staff, looking at it admiringly. "I must say, I rather enjoy seeing you so powerless, Jack," Pitch taunted, looking back at the winter spirit, and then leaning to the teen's level, looking into his eyes. Jack stared down the Boogeyman, his jaw set and eyes unwavering. "Let's keep it that way, shall we?" Pitch hissed as he stood up quickly, and snapped Jack's staff against his knee, making the winter spirit scream out in pain as he clenched at his chest, doubled over in pain. Bunnymund was yelling profanity at Pitch, rattling the bars of his cage, violently.

Jack struggled to breath, feeling like his intestines has been ripped out of his abdomen. He looked up at Pitch and Eve, his vision blurry as he blinked, willing his sight back to normal.

Eve gazed at Pitch, her eyes on Jack's snapped staff. This wasn't the plan. Pitch had said that they would have Jack and Bunny bring the Tooth Fairy. What was going on?

_It's alright, Eve. This is leading up to the plan. This is revenge. These scum are Guardians. Lying, selfish Guardians._

The forest spirit regained her composure, looking up at Bunnymund, who looked back at Eve, rage in his eyes. Pitch spoke, again, snapping Eve's attention back to the Nightmare King.

"Now, then. We can't have you fixing this blasted thing, again," Pitch spoke to Jack, laughing when the winter spirit moaned in protest as Pitch summoned a fearling. He looked at the cloud of black sand- which appeared to be in the form of a human- and smirked. "Start a fire," he ordered.

Eve's eyes widened, and she looked at Jack, who looked to be in pure panic as he tried to get up, scrambling to get back on his feet. Bunnymund was threatening Pitch, yelling at the Boogeyman.

"Eve, bound the boy, would you darling?" Pitch asked, walking over to the small fire that the fearling had created, broken staff in his gray hands.

Eve looked at Jack, then back at Pitch, feeling a stirring within her stomach. "Pitch!" She called out, stopping the Nightmare King. He stopped, then looked at the forest spirit quizzically, if not slightly irritated. "Let me have the staff. I… I'll dispose of it…" Eve assured him.

Jack looked at Eve with wide eyes, panting as he held his bad arm to his chest. Pitch rose his head, looking from Eve, to Jack, then back to Eve. "Very well," he agreed, walking back to Eve and handing her the staff pieces. The forest spirit took the staff remains, and looked at Jack, glaring at him.

"I want answers," she hissed at the winter spirit, stepping forward. Vines grasped the white-haired teen, lifting him up by his arms, making him yell out in pain. Once he was at eye-level with Eve, she stepped forward, glaring into Jack's eyes.

Jack moaned out in pain, but looked up, gazing into Eve's eyes pleadingly. "Eve," he groaned, taking a deep, painful breath. "Please, Eve. This isn't you. What happened?" Jack asked, searching Eve's eyes for some sort of an explanation.

Eve snorted, stabbing Jack's broken staff into his chest. "Don't you even _dare _act like you've done nothing wrong," Eve threatened, looking into the winter spirit's ice-blue eyes. "You all knew about my past the whole time. You were all trying to _use me_. You don't care about helping me, you just want my powers on your side. I know that Tooth tried to destroy my memories! I know that you all pretended to be my friends!" Eve yelled, fighting back the tears in her eyes.

Jack's eyebrows furrowed desperately, desperate confusion marking his features. "What are you talking about?" Jack asked, searching Eve's eyes, trying to make sense of this all. "We weren't using you, Eve!"

"Don't listen to him, darling. He's a Guardian- lying is his job," Pitch interrupted, placing a hand on Eve's shoulders.

"He's a liar!" Jack yelled, making Pitch flinch in anger. "Eve, we didn't try to destroy your memories! Pitch stole them so he could use them against you-"

But Jack couldn't finish his sentence, because Pitch grabbed the blade attached to Eve's dress, and cut across Jack's stomach, making him yell out in agonizing pain. Shocked, Eve's vines retreated, making the winter spirit fall to the ground where he curled up in pain.

"Jack!" Bunny yelled out, desperately squeezing the metal bars that kept him trapped.

Pitch summoned a fearling, and directed it towards Bunny's cage, where it unlocked the door, and brought the struggling Guardian to the ground, throwing him at Pitch's feet. "Now then," Pitch droned on, willing the black sand to keep Bunnymund still. "I want you to head back to the rest of your little friends, and tell them to come here," Pitch commanded, attaching Bunny's boomerangs to his weapons belt. "You might need these," he whispered with a pointy-tooth smile as Bunny jerked forward, trying to attack the Boogeyman.

The fearling brought Bunny to his feet, and Pitch put his blade to Jack's throat. "Go. Or else," he hissed, smiling as Jack leaned his head back to avoid the sharp blade, panting as he squirmed in pain.

Bunny looked at Jack, conflicted. The winter spirit met the pooka's eyes. "Remember what I said, Kangaroo," Jack reminded his fellow Guardian with a sad smile.

The Guardian of Hope's green eyes grew watery, and he looked completely enraged. He looked at Eve, glaring at the forest spirit, his eyes saying more than he could ever speak. He looked back at Jack, everything in his posture opposing what the winter spirit wanted him to do. But he gave a stiff nod, and tapped his foot twice.

Then he was gone, a red flower marking where he once was.

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**Lalalaaa**

**Oh, what's that? You hate me? I know ;D**

**Sorry for cutting it off here, but this chapter was going wayyyy longer than I thought it would, so I cut it up! The next part will be out, tomorrow n_n**

**Soooo yes. Thankyou for the reviews and the support! I love reading what you guys have to say, it makes me feel great n_n**

**Two chapters in one weekend! ;D Because you guys deserve it after waiting so long. **

**Thankyou so much for taking the time to read!**

**Review and favorite if you enjoy the story and stuff :3 **

**Goodbye, dearies!~**


	20. Chapter 20

Bunny stumbled out of his tunnel and into the globe room of North's workshop, where the Guardians were waiting. Sandy was first to see him, and waved frantically at the others, pointing towards the rabbit.

"Bunny!" Tooth called, shooting towards him in the speed of light and helping him balance himself when he swayed on his feet. "Bunny, what happened? Why are you covered in blood-"

"Jack," Bunny panted, grabbing onto North's arm when the white-bearded Guardian made his way over to the pooka. "Pitch's got Jack," Bunny gasped, looking around at his friends, his green eyes wide with panic.

"_What?_" North exclaimed, furious. "What do you mean Pitch has Jack?!"

"It's Eve," Bunny explained, trying to blurt out the immense amount of information held within him all at once. "She's gone bad, I think Pitch is controlling' 'er somehow. She's workin' with Pitch, they're torturing Jack. His arm, it's broken real bad, and-" Bunnymund cut himself off, and Tooth squeezed his arm, urging him on. Bunny took a deep breath, trying to calm his anxiety. "They broke 'is staff- snapped it up- I think they're gonna burn it," Bunny reported, looking into North's eyes. "It's the source of 'is powers, he can't do anything' without it. Also, he's been cut up real bad, he's bleedin' out and I don't know how much time 'es got left."

Tooth was furious, now, all traces of sadness gone. "Then we're going to go save him!" She exclaimed, feathers ruffled at the thought of their newest member- the baby of the group- _their Jack _in pain.

Bunny stood up straight at Tooth's words, panic in his posture. "Tooth, we _can't_. We're far outnumbered. And Eve, it's what she wants- what _Pitch _wants. The bastard's gone insane! They're planning on us returning, and they're aiming to kill. And Eve is going after you specifically, Tooth. She wants revenge on all of us, but mainly on you. If we all go, we're dead in no time. I… Jack asked me to make sure that we don't go after him. He made me promise," Bunny told them all, feeling pathetic. What was wrong with him? He needed to go save Jack! He needed to…. Screw promises! He needed to rescue the dumb, bloody Eskimo. He needed to go.

But it was the last thing Jack asked of him. Maybe he had a plan. Maybe he was going to solve everything. Maybe Bunny needed to ignore the fact that Jack was like a little brother to him, and he should realize that the kid could take care of himself.

Heck, he has been for more than three-hundred years.

Still, some part of Bunny was screaming at him to go back and help Jack. And his mind was not the only one…

"Bunny, we go and help Jack! He needs us!" North exclaimed, wielding his blades, his blue eyes filled with determination and rage.

The Guardian of Hope stood up straighter, looking into North's eyes. "And I'm tellin' ya, North. We _can't_. As much as I'm dyin' to, we just _can't_. Jack… he wants 'ta solve this on 'is own, mate. And… I know he can. Just- trust me, alrigh'?" Bunny begged, calming his racing heart.

But he knew that things were not going well. And although the Guardians skeptically agreed to Bunny's orders, Bunnymund promised himself that if Jack did not come back home in fifteen minutes, Bunnymund was going in there himself to rescue the bloody show pony.

* * *

Jack grasped at the wound on his stomach, covering it with his hands as if to keep the blood in. It was useless, though. Blood still trickled through his fingers- gushing out messily as it stained his blue hoodie with harsh red crimson liquid. He needed to get Eve to snap out of it. He had to reach out to her before it was all too late. He knew this wasn't Eve that he was looking at. Sure, it was her physically, but not _mentally_.

Jack coughed up blood, and looked up at Eve, who was observing Jack's staff in her hands, looking almost unimpressed, as if she wanted _more_.

But there was no fooling Jack. He had seen it, earlier. Eve's slight hesitation just as Pitch was about to burn Jack's staff. He had clearly seen the old Eve, right in her now-cold eyes. It was screaming out to him, trying to reach to him, begging him for help. Pitch had the old Eve locked up in there. She needed Jack now more than ever. And Jack needed to save his friend.

He studied Eve's face as she observed his mutilated shepherd's cane. Her expression was odd- like she was trying to remember something she couldn't quite get to- like a childhood memory, stored in the depths of her mind. Perhaps she was trying to remember Jack? Perhaps some part of her remembers the few memories they shared.

"Well, well, Jack Frost. Looks like your 'friends' aren't too keen on saving you," Pitch taunted, breaking Jack's thoughts as he pretended to observe a fake watch. Jack glared at the Nightmare King, completely furious with what he was doing. This was all a game to him! He took Eve's memories, and used them against her! Just so he could have his stupid, selfish revenge and power. Sitting up slowly- much to the protest of his wound and broken arm- Jack stared down the Boogeyman, and spat out blood at his feet, making Pitch step back with an aggravated groan. "You little-" Pitch began.

"Bite me," Jack hissed, glaring into Pitch's eyes.

At that, Pitch raised his knife, ready to finish off Jack. Eve stopped him.

"We'll need him alive, Pitch. He's no use to the Guardians if he's dead," Eve stated blandly, looking at Jack as if he were an old toy that she never really enjoyed playing with. It broke his heart. This was not Eve. This was not his friend. He had to remind himself that she truly doesn't mean what she's saying.

Swallowing back his negative thoughts, Jack looked at Eve and Pitch. "They're not coming. You're going to lose, Pitch. I told Bunny to make sure he doesn't bring the Guardians," Jack told the Nightmare King, trying to set him off. Smirking, Jack spoke, "All you have is useless me."

What happened was what Jack least expected. Instead of Pitch snapping, Eve did. Vines shot out from the ground, grabbing Jack by his arms (shifting the bone painfully in his left arm) and forcing him onto his feet, where it held him, facing his friend. Jack winced, holding back the urge to cry out in pain as his wound continued to bleed out, and his arm felt like it was being stabbed by white hot metal.

"Send them here," Eve hissed, glaring at Jack as she stepped closer to him. "Bring the Tooth Fairy here, _now,"_ she commanded.

Jack panted as he tried to gain his breath, adrenaline coursing through him from the pain. Looking into Eve's eyes, he set his face stone serious, trying not to reveal his emotions to Eve. "Not going to happen. You're stuck with me," Jack breathed, struggling to not collapse.

Grunting in anger, Eve made the vines release Jack, and she pointed her dagger towards him. "Fight me. _Now_," she commanded, rage in her eyes.

Jack's eyes widened. No. He couldn't. He could pretend that he isn't effected by Eve's cold attitude, but he could only go so far with it. There was no way he could bring himself to injure her. Swallowing back the lump in his throat- his mouth dry- Jack stared at the dagger, and shook his head slowly, looking back into Eve's eyes as he spoke. "No, Eve. I won't fight you," he answered, struggling not to let his legs give out on him as he continued to lose blood.

Scowling, Eve rose her head, pointing her knife at Jack's throat. "What should we do with him?" Eve asked Pitch, not looking at him.

Pitch rose an eyebrow as he observed Jack. He looked at him like he was a useless old worn out rag, just as Eve was looking at him. "Kill him. He's of no use to us, now. And if he dies, the Guardians will want revenge. They'll come," he spoke, turning around to pet one of his fearlings, not bothering to watch the execution.

Eve grabbed Jack by the front of his hoodie, balling it up in her fist as she brought him to her, putting the tip of her knife against his throat as she looked down at him.

Thinking quick, Jack remembered how Pitch stopped him when he began to tell Eve that Pitch was lying to her. Maybe if he were to jog Eve's memory, somehow, she'd snap. Maybe he could bring the old Eve back.

It was worth a shot.

"Eve," Jack whispered, looking into her eyes, searching for any sign of recognition. "Eve, listen to me," Jack whispered urgently, Pitch taking no notice of the scene before him as the Nightmare King gathered fearlings, readying them for the arrival of the Guardians- or to ambush them. "This isn't you," Jack whispered, eyebrows furrowed with distress. "You need to remember," he begged her. Eve froze, and looked at Jack skeptically. He had her attention, and that was good enough for him. Taking a deep breath, Jack spoke. "Your name is Eve Dawn. You've been alone for three-hundred years, just like me. I tried to save you from that wolf, because I thought it'd hurt you, but you ended up saving me," Jack rambled, catching the softening of Eve's eyes, before they grew cold, again. "Sophie- she thinks you're a princess. And I know that choosing a favorite kid isn't right, but I know you loved her the most out of all the kids we played with that day of the snowball fight. Because whenever you had a clear aim on her, you'd let her hit you with a snowball and you'd do a dramatic death scene just to make her laugh. You only did it for her," Jack whispered, grasping the wrist of the hand holding the dagger, noticing how Eve's hold on Jack loosened slightly as she listened.

"Then… Eve, later that day we watched the sunset. You laid your head on my chest and it made me feel so safe and happy and Eve that was the first time I've been close to sleeping in such a long time. You made me feel so content. Like I'd found something I lost. We were best friends. Please, try and remember," Jack spoke. A flash of the old Eve crossed the forest-spirit's features, and Jack grew hopeful. Then Eve closed her eyes and grunted in frustration, shaking her head.

"No, no stop it!" She hissed, glaring at Jack when she opened her eyes. "None of that is true, you never cared! You were lying the whole time!" Eve exclaimed, pushing the dagger close to Jack yet again, but her argument sound rehearsed- like it was something she was being forced to say rather than something she truly believed. Pitch noticed the commotion, and looked frustrated as he walked over.

"Eve! Just kill him already, we don't have time for this!" He said, his voice rising with anxiousness. It was working. And Jack knew it.

So he continued.

"You're Snow White," Jack whispered. "You love to knit beautiful scarves and you're really really good at it. I gave you an ugly sweater for Christmas but you wore it anyways because I think you didn't want to make me feel bad. You love animals more than people, and you don't wear shoes because your feet don't get cold, but you don't know why," Jack rambled, struggling to breathe as he saw his vision swim. He didn't have much time. He was dying. "You hate the cold and winter, but you always put yourself through it so we could spend time together. Bunny tried to take you away from me and it made me upset because Eve, you're my best friend. Please remember. I don't want to lose you," Jack begged, feeling the threat of loneliness and isolation tear at his heart- a feeling that frightened him more than anything.

Eve suddenly gasped, eyes wide, and dropped Jack along with her dagger and Jack's staff pieces as she stepped back, blinking. She clutched at her head, as if a sharp pain were going through it. Pitch's yellow eyes grew wide and he looked from Jack to Eve, completely shocked. Eve looked at Jack, meeting his eyes, and Jack's heart leapt with joy when he saw the old Eve. She scanned him over, tears forming in her eyes as she realized what she had done.

"Jack…" she whispered, her eyes lingering on his wound. "I'm so sorry, Jack," she whimpered, pulling her shaking hands away from her face as she looked at her friend.

Jack grinned, ignoring the way it made his bloodied lips crack even more. Letting out a breathy laugh, he looked at Eve with his blue eyes. " 'S no big deal," Jack mumbled. "Just a scratch," he joked, unsure of what else to do but try and make her smile one more time before he died. He had to see her happy before he's gone.

"NO!" Pitch yelled, startling Eve, who jumped slightly, turning to face the Nightmare King. "You bloody little _nuisance_!" He yelled at Jack, stalking towards him.

Before Jack and Eve could even process it, Pitch had Jack's staff remains in his hand, and disappeared into shadows, reappearing by the fire that was still burning, lifting the wooden staff right above it.

And he dropped it in.

Eve screamed out in protest, and Jack yelled out in pain as he curled up, unable to hear anything other than the sound of what blood he had left rushing through his head. The pain was indescribable. It was worse than the broken arm and the gash in his stomach. It made those injuries seem like scrapes someone would get when they fell down in a playground.

This pain was like hellfire. It traveled throughout Jack's body, burning everything in his path and making him feel like his insides were melting away.

And Jack collapsed, unable to support himself up on his uninjured arm anymore- the world around him slowly going black.

He released his last breath, and coldness consumed him once again. But this was not the coldness of snow days or blizzard winds on winter nights. This was a ghastly, blasted cold that one never truly wants to feel.

This was the coldness of death.

* * *

Eve panicked when she saw Jack pass out, but she knew she had no time to check on him. She needed to deal with Pitch if she wanted to help Jack. Gathering all her rage within her, Eve lifted her arms as she summoned the vines, making them grab Jack's staff from the fire, and grabbing Pitch with another one, tossing him to the wall of the cave they were in. Pitch hit the wall, hard, but retaliated quickly, disappearing into the shadows after summoning a handful of fearlings towards Eve.

When the vines brought Eve the staff pieces- burnt but still intact- Eve held them close to her, and backed away from the fearlings and towards Jack as she picked up her knife, prepared to defend her friend. She needed to get them out of here. She needed to heal Jack before she lost him.

"You still have the chance to make things right, Eve!" Pitch yelled, and Eve looked up to see him on the back of a fearling horse, high up in the air. Eve scowled, hugging Jack's staff pieces to her while she pointed her knife at the Nightmare King, glaring at him.

"Never! You will never have me under your control, again!" Eve yelled.

Pitch rose his head, looking down at the forest spirit. "Very well. Goodbye, Eve Dawn," Pitch spoke, and flicked his hand, summoning his army of fearlings upon the raven-haired girl.

Eve used her vines to attack as many fearlings as she could while she also wielded her knife- a weapon she was not as accustomed to. Tens upon hundreds of fearlings were charging at her and Jack, and Eve tried her hardest to make sure none of them touched the distressingly still winter spirit.

And just when she thought she was done for, an egg bomb went off, wiping out ten fearlings.

Her eyes wide, Eve heard a familiar voice.

"Glad 'ta have ya back, Red!" An Australian-accented voice called out as Eve looked up behind her to see none other than the Guardians, all riding on Santa's sleigh. Sandy was flying around the cave, now, consuming the dark with his beautiful golden light as the fearlings fought the dominance of the Sandman's good dreams and hope. Tooth was flying around with her army of fairies, each and every one of them attacking fearlings with vicious ambushes that one would not think fairies capable of. North had landed his sleigh, now, and he and Bunny jumped out, North attacking fearlings with his sabers while Bunnymund threw his boomerangs about, throwing an egg bomb every now and then- it's bright colors enveloping the dark sand.

A snow globe crashed to the ground- courtesy of North- and hundreds upon hundreds of yetis filed out, each ready for combat. Eve looked to Jack, and knelt down next to him, placing a hand over his heart but finding no pulse. The fighting pursued around her, and Eve tried her hardest to protect Jack from fearlings while checking to see if her friend _was still alive_.

Bunnymund came over to the forest spirit, and looked her in the eyes then away, boomerangs in hand as he panted, throwing one of them, hitting two fearlings, and catching the weapon expertly. "Go!" He told her as he looked at the red-cloaked girl, again. "Take Jack somewhere safe! Heal him, ya hear me?" The pooka yelled amongst the chaos. "Do whatever it takes to get him up and about," he commanded, and Eve nodded, picking up the cold winter spirit, along with his staff, and flying out of the cave, avoiding fearlings along the way and not bothering to look back to see what happened to Pitch.

She'd deal with that bastard later.

When Eve finally flew out the cave, she arrived at the forest they were in, and placed Jack in a pile of snow. The winter spirit was covered in blood, his blue hoodie stained in the crimson substance. The red was shocking against Jack's pale complex, and frightened Eve ever so terribly.

Calming her breathing, Eve focused. She needed to heal Jack. So the forest-spirit placed her hands on him- one over his heart and the other over his wound. Looking at Jack's bloodied face, and taking a deep breath, Eve sang her ancient song- her voice shaking with fear.

It worked, though, because Eve's amulet glowed with its green light, and that familiar and beautiful light traveled to the forest spirit's small hands, sealing up Jack's wound as if it were never there.

But Eve did not feel Jack's pulse.

Panicking, now, Eve scooted closer to Jack in the snow, and placed her ear over his lips, struggling to hear some sort of breathing.

There was none.

Feeling the threat of tears burn the back of her eyes and tingle in her nose, Eve proceeded to heal Jack's arm, desperate to find a way to bring him back. Once his bodily injuries were healed, Eve looked at her friend's face, again. Still nothing. His eyes were closed peacefully, his mouth slightly agape and his face still stained red.

That damned crimson liquid.

Eve choked back a sob, and held Jack's head in her hands.

No. She promised Bunny. She said she'd bring Jack back. She said she'd do anything she could to heal him.

Letting out a painful sob, Eve let go of Jack's face and placed her hands on his chest, providing him with chest compressions until her arms ached and she cracked one of the unresponsive teen's ribs.

"Come on, Jack!" Eve cried, tears streaming down her face as she felt her heart being torn to shreds. "Please!" She screamed as she stopped her chest compressions and held Jack's face, again, pushing back his white locks and gazing at his features for some form of response.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed, shoulders hunched as she buried her face into Jack's cold neck, releasing her river of tears. "I'm so sorry!" She screamed into his neck. But he didn't respond. He would never respond, again. He wouldn't smirk and tell her to stop being so dramatic. He wouldn't tell her he was fine and race her back to the Pole. He wouldn't speak to her and bless her with his wonderful presence.

Because he was gone.

Screaming in frustration and distress, Eve hugged Jack's lifeless body to her, rocking back and forth as she spoke to him, trying her hardest to force some sort of response from him.

"Wake up, Jack!" Eve told him continuously. "Wake up and tell me some stupid joke. Wake up and smile that dumb, stupid, beautiful smile! Get up, _now! _Stop it! This isn't funny, just move! Move your hand, open your eyes- _I want to see your eyes, Jack!_" Eve screamed, pulling away to look at his face, then breaking down sobbing, again when she saw how completely lifeless it truly looked.

His body was limp, only moving with Eve's movement.

"This is all my fault, Jack! I'm so, so sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't save you!" Eve yelled, tears streaking down her face and her throat raw with the harsh sobs and distressed yelling. "This is my fault," she sobbed, placing a hand on Jack's cheek as she looked at his face. "I couldn't save you," Eve cried, her voice breaking as she buried her head into Jack's chest.

She pulled away, putting her hands on his chest, and singing her song as she cried, repeating it over and over until she lost count and her sobs refused to let her speak. She did more chest compressions, providing breaths to Jack's unresponsive body.

But none of it worked.

So Eve held her dear friend's body to her own as she cried, ridding herself of all the tears until they were just dry sobs. She cried alone, although she shouldn't be alone. She had Jack, and he just had to be alive. He just had to be.

Snow fell from the sky, although it now no longer had a master to abide to. It were as if the snowflakes were crying, as well, covering their beloved creator in a blanket of snow, consuming Eve as well. She held Jack, all alone in the dark, snowy forest. The Northern winds howled, crying for their fallen leader. And Eve was to blame for this all. She had lost her first real friend. She had given in to Pitch's control, and she had let him abuse her powers and corrupt her in ways unimaginable.

Now the forest spirit had to pay the horrible price for her actions.

Jack Frost was dead.

And Eve was alone once again.

* * *

**THE END**

**xxxxxx**

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**xxxxxx**

**I GOTCHA ;D Hahaha oh my god, I'm sorry guys. **

**This isn't the end… or is it?;D hmmmm, it depends on how I feel… **

**Someone must die… somebody… it's just against my writing habits to not have somebody die in one of my stories…**

**But we'll see, I suppose ;3**

**Anyways… I feel personally threatened by everyone's angry reviews XD I feel like I should be hiding, because many of you seem to want to kill me.**

**UPDATE WILL BE THIS SATURDAY n_n you have to wait… mwehehe**

**I'm so going to lose half my audience because of this.**

**LOVE YOU GUYS :3**

**Goodbye, my dearies!~**

**PS Sorry for any grammatical errors, I'm sleepy and I'm typing this on wordpad for ya'll… COMMITMENT.**

**So yes, I shall go to sleep now, seeing as it's 3am. **

**Goodnight! Please review! :3 they make me smile *heart***


	21. Chapter 21

**SORRY FOR REUPLOADING! FIRST OFF, I FORGOT TO ADD THE SCENE WHERE JACK SEES HIS STAFF, AND SECOND I DIDNT GET AN EMAIL SAYING THIS CHAPTER WAS UPLOADED, SO I WAS WORRIED THAT SOME OF YOU GUYS WOULDNT SEE IT.**

**Continue!~**

* * *

The moon was full the night Jack Frost died.

It hung in the sky, seeming to mock the horrible death with its lively light.

Eve cursed the moon for what seemed like ages as she held Jack's cold, limp body to her own, trying to provide it with some warmth. Why couldn't she heal him? She could heal anything, so _why was he dead?_

_You waited too long_, she told herself. _This is all your fault._

It felt like Eve's heart was being constricted and dragged down her insides by some invisible anchor. Nothing could explain the grief that consumed her body as sobs racked out from her, her arms tight around her friend.

She would never see Jack's smile, again. She would never be able to hug him close and feel his cold arms wrap around her. Their fingers wont intertwine as Jack pulls her along, trying to show her something exciting. They'd never go on adventures or have snowball fights or go ice skating. All of the memories they were supposed to make would never happen.

All because she killed him.

She was the reason he's dead.

It. Was. All. Her. Fault.

Choking back sobs, Eve thought about what the Guardians would say. What they would do. They just lost their newest member, and it was all because Eve betrayed them. They all took her in and treated her like family, and she tried to kill them. Now Jack was dead, and Eve was to blame.

What would Jamie do? What would all of Jack's friends do if they found out he was dead?

No. Jack _doesn't deserve to die_. This can't happen, Eve wouldn't let it. Jack needed to wake up and walk around and make snow days and make snow clouds follow snobby business men and make it snow on Easter. The world _needed him. _This was not Jack's time!

Why? Why did this have to happen?!

Eve asked herself that hundreds of times, but an answer was never spoken to her. No voice comforted her, telling her that all things must come to an end. Nobody was there to put an arm around her shoulder and tell her that Jack was in a better place. Nobody was there to relieve Eve of this burden. To be honest, though, Eve was glad that nobody was there to help her through this. Because she deserved it. She deserved to grieve in solitude and later face the hate of everyone who ever loved Jack.

She didn't deserve to live. Life was in the wrong body.

If only she could give her life to Jack, Eve wished.

But… perhaps she could.

Eve's eyes widened as an idea struck her, and she gazed down at Jack's dead body, her bewildered blue eyes gleaming with inspiration.

She could give her life to Jack.

If Eve could heal, she could find a way.

When Eve healed people or animals, it took away her energy and transported it to the wounded being. If Eve could find a way to prolong the spell… make it permanent.

Eve placed Jack down gently in the snow, folding his arms over his chest and gazing at him for one last time as she brushed her fingertips against Jack's cold cheek, tears blurring her vision.

The forest spirit placed her amulet in her hand, and yanked at it, snapping the chain against her neck, inhaling a breath at the pain that coursed through her body as she felt her powers snap.

Reaching towards Jack's staff with shaky fingers, Eve grabbed the two halves of the cane, and placed it in front of her. It was dark brown, almost black. It didn't look anywhere near magical in its state. The sight of it made Eve cry even more. She bent forward from the pain in her gut, taking deep, gasping breaths as she tried to calm herself enough to get this done.

Eve connected the staff halves in their correct position, willing the splintered wood to slide into place, merging together, and tied them together with the chain of her necklace, the amulet glowing once it was successfully tied to the magic staff.

Eve smiled weakly. Good. Her amulet detected life within Jack's staff. Placing her hand on her amulet, which now held the staff tightly together, Eve closed her eyes, and whispered her song, feeling all of her energy drain out of her body and into the shepherd's staff. The forest spirit was growing weaker and weaker by the second as she sang her song over and over, opening her eyes to place the staff in Jack's hand, holding it there for him with her own shaking fingers.

The wood was gaining it's light brown color, the break in the staff now sealing together as if it never existed.

Automatically, the color returned to the winter spirit, and his staff glowed the brightest it ever had. But the light that shone from Jack's staff was not just blue.

Spring green and light blue light spiraled around the cane, embedded within it and seeping it's light out from the creases in the wood. Eve was now a part of him. This was all he'd have left of her.

Giving a weak smile, Eve placed her other hand over Jack's heart, and continued to sing.- her voice raspy and hushed as she released the last of her life into Jack. Eve could feel Jack's heartbeat beneath her fingertips as it grew stronger and stronger, and she laughed, her smile growing as she felt tears slide down her face. Soon her whole body was shaking- her muscles could no longer support her.

One by one, her organs shut down- each going lifeless as Eve fell into the snow, her hands slipping off of the winter spirit as they fell limp by her side.

And the world went dark.

* * *

Jack gasped in a cold breath, and his eyes flew open as his heart suddenly kick-started, advancing and beating fast as if to make up for the minutes that it wasn't.

The winter spirit pushed himself up with his arms, finding out that his left arm was completely healed up as he panted, his lungs screaming with the need for oxygen. Jack gawked at his arm, completely awestruck. How…?

Then he realized that his stomach wound was gone- the only evidence that it was ever there to begin with was the blood stained tear in his hoodie and shirt. In fact, Jack's whole body felt completely uninjured- if not, just a bit sore. Blinking, the white-haired teen looked around him, realizing he was in a dark, snow covered forest.

When he looked to his right, his heart nearly stopped in his chest.

Eve was lying there, completely motionless in the snow, her skin an ashy white and her red cloak sprawled out beneath her- the only color the forest spirit contained.

"Eve!" Jack exclaimed, his muscles springing to life as he moved himself to Eve's side. Jack sat on his knees, leaning over the raven-haired girl quickly. She didn't move. Didn't even show any sign of life.

Panicking now, Jack placed a hand over her heart, and put his ear over her slightly parted lips, trying to see if she was breathing, desperate to hear air exit from her lungs.

Nothing.

"No, no, no, no," Jack murmured, his heart slamming painfully against his ribcage as he hauled the forest spirit onto his lap, lifting up her head with his arm. "Wake up, Eve," Jack murmured, gazing at her face. She didn't respond, and Jack felt tears burn at the back of his eyes. He blinked them away, getting furious, now. "Wake up, Eve!" Jack commanded, putting a hand on her cheek as he brought her close to him, gazing at her face intensely as he vigilantly searched for any movement- any twitch or breath that showed she was still alive.

But she remained still, her lips drained of color and her skin paler than ever.

Tears fell down Jack's cheeks and he wiped furiously at his eyes, trying to will them to stop the tears. He shouldn't be crying. Eve is still alive. She had to be.

"Please," Jack whispered, not moving his eyes from Eve's face. "Come on, Eve. Wake up, we gotta take you to the Pole… we need to go, wake up!" Jack urged her, knowing deep down in his heart that he would not get any response.

Jack knew now why Eve was gone. She had healed him, somehow. She had given her life to Jack. It was the only way… the only explanation.

Suddenly, Jack saw his wooden staff, buried in the snow next to him. his eyes wide, he picked it up as he held onto Eve's body, and observed the shepherd's cane. A silver, shiny object was tied around the middle of the staff where Pitch had snapped it. A sickening feeling punched Jack in the gut as he realized what it was.

Eve's amulet.

The necklace was tied to the now-fixed staff. It's stone was no longer green, but now a cold gray- all the power completely wiped out of it.

Eve had transferred her powers to Jack.

Feeling like he was breathing in bricks, Jack swallowed and untied the amulet, holding it in his hands as tears blurred his vision. He pocketed the amulet, vowing to keep it safe for Eve.

Jack's staff suddenly glowed in his hand, and Jack gasped when he saw that the light blue light was now accompanied by a green light, both colors dancing beautifully together through the cane.

This only made Jack feel even more sick, though.

Eve had given her life to Jack. She killed herself so Jack could live.

This was all his fault.

The winter spirit let the tears fall, now, and he let out a yell of frustration as he closed his eyes, crying. "No!" He screamed, holding Eve against his chest, just like he had when she was having a nightmare. Except now Eve didn't put her arms around him and bury her face into his hoodie. She didn't move at all. Jack placed a kiss on Eve's forehead, pressing her face against his neck and fighting the urge to cringe when he realized the absence of her body heat. He held her in a protective embrace as he cried, letting out painful sobs.

Eve Dawn was dead.

And Jack was alone, once again.

* * *

Bunnymund stepped towards Pitch, the Guardians backing him up as he cornered the Nightmare King.

Pitch was on his hands and knees, looking up at the Guardians as he scowled at them, completely beat up from his battle with the heroes. The Guardians had finally won, and now they had Pitch cornered.

Glaring his yellow eyes at them, Pitch lifted up his head. "Go ahead," he urged them. "Kill me," he commanded, locking eyes with Bunnymund. Aster stepped forward, happy to do so without any hesitation. But as he grabbed a knife from his weapons belt, Pitch spoke again. "But first, ask Toothiana what Eve would think," he told them, smiling. Tooth froze behind Bunny, but kept her face passive. "Go on," Pitch told her, "Tell them who I really am." Pitch smiled mischievously.

Bunny froze, now, as did the rest of the Guardians. They all turned to look at the Tooth Fairy, who was now looking panicked. She looked around at her fellow Guardians, then at Pitch, violet eyes meeting yellow ones. Biting her lower lip as she glared at hip, Tooth clenched her hands by her side.

"What's he talkin' about, Sheila?" Bunny asked, eyeing the Tooth Fairy. What other secrets has she kept from them?

Tooth took a deep breath, keeping her gaze on the Nightmare King as she spoke. "He's Matthew Dawn. Pitch is Eve's little brother."

Bunny's blood went cold at Eve's words, and his eyes went wide, completely shocked. No way. There was no way in Hell that this was true.

Pitch's cold laugh shot through the cave, and all eyes were on him. Nobody could speak. Nobody could move. Tooth was glaring at Pitch, now, watching his every move.

Suddenly, Pitch stopped laughing. His eyebrows furrowed, and then rose as he smirked, looking up at the Guardians. "It appears my big sister has just died," Pitch spoke in a hushed, chilling voice.

North stepped forward, now, sabers pointed at Pitch. "What are you talking about?" He asked, his voice enraged. "What did you do?!"

But Pitch just laughed more, seeming completely amused. "You'd best check on her, now. Give her a lovely funeral, would you?" Pitch asked as he suddenly stood up, disappearing into the shadows.

The Guardians remained still until Sandy snapped them back to attention, waving frantically as symbols that looked like Eve and Jack formed above his head. Everybody suddenly got their brains working, forcing themselves past the shock. North pointed a saber at Tooth, looking straight into her eyes. "We talk about this, later," he told her. "Let's go!" He commanded the Guardians as they all headed to his sleigh, climbing on board and flying out of the horrid dark cave.

* * *

A blizzard tore through the forest as the Guardians searched. It wasn't long before they found Jack in the strongest part of the storm, hunched over a figure in the snow, not moving.

They landed the sleigh by the winter spirit, and they each climbed out, struggling to get to Jack as they fought the furious winds. It was Bunny who got to Jack, first, placing a paw on the teen's shoulders as he shouted his name.

"Jack!" He yelled over the howling wind. The winter spirit cringed, his shoulders shaking with what seemed like sobs. Bunny maneuvered himself so he was in front of the white-haired teen, facing him as he places both his paws on Jack's shoulders. "Jack!" He yelled, trying to calm down the winter spirit. "I need you to calm down!" He instructed, Jack showing no signs of even hearing him.

Suddenly, Bunny grabbed Jack's face, lifting it from Eve and making Jack face the pooka.

Bunny's heart almost broke at the sight of Jack's face.

The teen's blue eyes were red and filled with tears, looking so sad and broken that Bunny mentally cringed. Tear tracks were frozen in their small streams on Jack's face, making it glisten in the moonlight.

Suddenly, Bunny knew what Jack needed.

Not even worried about how much this would hurt his pride later on, Bunny hugged Jack to him, wrapping both Eve and Jack in his arms as the teen's crying lessened and the blizzard calmed. Bunny held Jack close to him, letting the teen bury his face in Bunny's fuzzy chest, willing Jack to relax and feel comforted. Soon, the blizzard stopped completely, and only a few flurries fell, freezing Bunny's coat as the pooka suppressed the urge to shiver in the cold weather. It was quiet, now, and Bunny could hear Jack's strained breathing as the teen gasped in breaths, trying to control his sobs that seemed to control themselves.

Bunny let go of the teen, but still held his shoulders, and looked into his eyes. Jack looked back at Bunny, his face so lost and confused that the winter spirit looked like a small child.

The pooka swallowed back the lump in his throat as he looked down at Eve. She was lifeless and cold in Jack's grasp. Her body shielded from the harsh snowstorm by Jack's body, so not much snow covered her limp body. Bunnymund ran a paw through Eve's raven hair, fighting back the sick feeling in his gut. Swallowing, again, Bunny looked back at Jack.

"Let's take 'er to the Pole, Jack," he told the winter spirit as he somehow found his voice. "Let's see if there's something' we can do for her, yeah?" Bunny asked Jack, even though he knew he was lying. There was nothing they could do for her, now. But this was the only way he'd get Jack back home and out of this forest where he could be victim to Pitch at any moment.

Instead of ignoring Bunny or nodding, Jack spoke- his voice raspy. "Is there anything we can do?" He asked, his throat raw from crying.

As much as it pained him to, Bunny nodded, lying again to the winter spirit. "I'm sure there is. There has to be," he told the young teen.

So with a nod from Jack, the winter spirit held Eve to him as he stood up on wobbly legs, almost falling down from his lack of energy.

Bunny steadied Jack, and looked at the winter spirit's weary eyes. "Jack, let me take 'er," he told him, reaching out to Eve. But Jack shook his head, stubbornly.

"No," he mumbled, already heading to the other Guardians, who were waiting by the sleigh as they kept cautious eyes on Jack.

Bunny stayed by the winter spirit as they walked to the sleigh, helping steady him every time he swayed or almost fell. When they all got into the sleigh, nobody spoke, and nobody dared to try and touch Eve when Jack was holding her so protectively.

The moon shone brighter in the sky, seeming vibrant and powerful.

Bunny cursed the moon silently, despising the Man in the Moon for not helping them.

And the moon took the curses silently, just as it always had ,and just as it always will.

* * *

**Dun dun dunnnnnnnn**

**Okay, I know that the Pitch thing is completely not canon, but the idea had been with me for such a long time, and I really wanted to put it into this story n_n I hope it doesn't bother you guys too much. **

**Props to FlyingHampsterOfDoom for guessing the whole thing with Pitch! I was very impressed that you found out! I thought I was being really sneaky XD**

**Soooo yesh(: sorry for my viewers that are ahead of me on the time scale! I said I'd upload this on Saturday, and it's still Saturday here :c I know a lot of you guys live in different countries and stuff, so I apologize! **

**The next chapter will be up as soon as I finish it!**

**Thankyou so much for the reviews! WE'RE ALMOST AT 100! :'D let's try and get there, please? I'd die from happiness n_n and I will post an epic drawing of Eve and Jack if we get to 100 reviews. I'm in AP art, so it will not be crappy, haha XD it'll be pretty awesome and I'll work hard on it. **

**I love you guys so much, you all seriously make my day! Thankyou soooo much for taking time out of your day to read my dumb story! You have no idea how much it means to me! And thank you for taking time to type up reviews! Your enthusiasm is what's helping me complete this story, and it wouldn't have gotten this far without you all n_n **

**Thanks again!**

**Until next timeeee**

**Goodbye, dearies!~**


	22. Chapter 22

Jack held Eve's cold hand in his own as he sat by her bedside. The Guardians had decided to lay Eve down in the guest bed she had often slept in, after much persuasion from Bunny. The pooka was warily looking over Jack, making sure that the teen didn't do anything too rash.

The odd thing was… Jack didn't do much of anything.

It brought shivers to the Guardian of Hope to see Jack- the spirit of winter and fun- so completely… lifeless… robotic, even. The white-haired teen said nothing on the whole ride back to the Pole. They had rushed to get back, speeding through the skies since they were fresh out of snow globes. Jack merely held onto Eve the whole journey back, just gazing at her lifeless form with so much pain in his eyes that even E. Aster Bunnymund had to look away.

When they arrived at the Pole, Tooth and North tried to separate Jack from Eve so they could tend to the winter spirit. He was weak and ill, and could barely even walk properly- let alone fly. Every single quirk and spark that the Guardian of Fun once contained was completely wiped out. He didn't smile or crack a joke. He didn't even try to hide his pain and sorrow like he usually did. It was completely shocking. Even back in the cage, when he was in _so much pain _the teen managed to flash his signature smirk and joke with Bunny. It had amazed the pooka how strong Jack could really be.

But now Bunny watched by the door to Eve's room as Jack sat by the forest spirit's bedside, leaning towards her as he held her hand and gazed at her barren face. He wasn't even crying, anymore. The winter spirit was sitting quietly, occasionally murmuring a few broken pleas to the girl that would never hear any of it. North had tried to convince Bunny to let him give Eve a proper funeral. He had insisted it would help Jack recover quicker from his loss. And, he was most likely right. But that doesn't matter, Bunny had told him. It doesn't matter what will help in the long run, because however the teen decides to cope with his pain, it'll be hell no matter what. So why bother trying to speed things up? The weight of loss and death will follow a person until they've deceased, themselves. Bunny told North that they must let Jack deal with this in his own way. Tooth had backed up Bunnymund, explaining that Jack was old enough to cope with this in whatever fashion he pleased.

So the Guardians could do nothing but watch as their youngest member sat by the bedside of his deceased friend for hours on end, not moving from his spot.

It was odd to see the hyper winter spirit sit so still.

It was not right.

But there was nothing they could do. Eve Dawn was dead, and nothing they were capable of could change that fate.

* * *

Jack felt hollow, now. The grief and pain still ached within him, but it was buried beneath this empty, numb feeling deep within his chest. His heart still weighed down within him, but it felt like he was lifting a heavy weight rather than being punched in the gut like before.

As he held Eve's lifeless hand within his, he traced her fingers and palm, suddenly taking interest in her every detail, now that he knows that soon he will never see her again. Soon he will forget her face. He would forget the shine in her sky-blue eyes whenever they laid upon him. He would forget the laughter wrinkles that surrounded those blue orbs whenever she smiled or laughed her wind-chime laugh. He would forget her voice- so calming and smooth and gentle, even when she was upset or angry or sad. He would forget her dark, raven hair that softly framed her pale features. He would forget the feeling of her arms wrapped around him in the hug that only she could give. He would never feel the feelings that she gave him- these foreign, strange feelings of unexplainable happiness at just the sight or thought of her. The leap his heart did when their eyes met. It was all so new, and so short-lived.

And he didn't want it all to end.

It just _couldn't end_.

Everything had just started. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to ask her anything he could think to ask. He wanted to take her ice-skating and snowball fighting, again. He wanted to race her like they planned and let her win like he was thinking about doing. He wanted to see her cheer with happiness and pride when she won their race, and he wanted to hear her tease him as she tells him how she's better and how she told him so. He wanted to tell her she beat him. Fair and square.

Why would she give her life to him? Why would she give up something so precious? Jack was dead. He was dead and he wasn't supposed to come back. What made her think it was her job to raise him from the dead? What made her think it was her responsibility?

Jack wanted to feel angry. He wanted to yell at her and tell her how dumb and stupid she was. He wanted to scream at her as he blamed her for leaving him alone. He wanted to call her selfish, irrational, immature.

But he couldn't. There were so many reasons he couldn't.

First, he was just tired. He was tired of breathing and moving and thinking and just _existing _with such a burden. Second, he was too numb to express all this anger and frustration that he knew was waiting to be let out, somewhere deep within him.

And third… he just loved her too much.

He loved her too much to really be angry at her. She was too kind, and sweet and pure and loving to be mad at. He wanted to be mad at her so badly that it drove him insane. He knew she did what she thought was right. He knew that although she acted rashly, that it was out of the goodness of her heart. But to be honest, that just made him more angry. It made him angry to realize how good she is. Why did she have to be so kind? Why couldn't she just realize Jack was dead and move on? Why did she have to _care?_

Somewhere deep down within him, a voice kept nagging at him. It kept saying the same thing every time he thought that question.

_It's because she loved you, too._

* * *

"It is time, Toothiana. You must explain," North spoke as he, Sandy, Bunny, and Toothiana all sat in the globe room. "Is what you said true?" North asked, gazing intently at the dainty fairy.

Tooth nodded solemnly, her eyes red and poofy from crying so much. She had lost her closest friend before. She had to experience her death once. Why did this all have to happen, again? Why was this happening?

But Toothiana took a deep breath, and cleared her raw throat. The Guardians deserved an explanation. This was all her fault, and the least she owed them was the full story.

"Pitch… Matthew was our strongest believer at one point, you know," Tooth pointed out. The Guardians all remained quiet. Yes, they had remembered Matthew Dawn. In his short life span, the child was one of the strongest believers to have ever have lived. But after his death, they all just sort of… moved on. It happened so often that the Guardians didn't think much of it. Well, all of them except Tooth, that is. The Guardian of Memories continued her story, "Before Matthew died… well, he stopped believing. After he reached Burgess, he went in hiding there. He lived in alleyways and ate what scraps he could find. I tried to help him… but I was too late, I suppose. He had lost all hope when I found him," Tooth explained, her voice thick with tears.

She took another deep breath, and continued. "When his sister didn't meet him in Burgess… he was angry. He was upset that she abandoned him. He was angry that the Guardians didn't help him when he and Eve both believed in us so deeply. He blamed us for not being there for him, even after he had helped so many children believe. He claimed that we owed him. He wanted to find somebody to blame for his sorrows. So his anger built up day by day, and he soon hated his sister. He hated her for never returning to him. He hated her for giving up in the forest when he had tried to hard to escape. He was angry at her for accepting death so easily, even after she told him that she'd always fight for him.

"But mostly, he hated the Guardians. He thought we were selfish. He stopped believing, and he never tried to help himself or get help and head back home. He didn't do what Eve told him. So he lived for two years with this hatred in his soul… his dreams grew dark and his thoughts were soon corrupted. Everything around him appeared horrible and hopeless in his eyes. And… two years later… on the anniversary of Eve's death," Tooth stopped speaking, the memories too much for her. She licked her lips and didn't dare look up when she spoke again. "April 12th," she whispered. "Matthew took a shard of glass… and he slit his own throat. He took his life," Tooth whispered with a choked sob.

Nobody spoke, so Tooth continued. "The Man in the Moon revived him. He made him older- turned him into… Pitch Black. With his powers, though, Pitch had a choice. He could either control the dark thoughts of those around him and contain them from taking over human minds… or he could bring them upon people, himself," Tooth explained. Then she shrugged as she met the Guardians' gazes as she spoke again. "We all know which path he chose," she whispered, her eyes tired and sad.

And nobody said anything. They were all too shocked- too surprised at this new perspective they had of Pitch.

When somebody finally spoke, it was Bunny.

"Does… did Eve know?" The pooka asked, his green eyes filled with pain when he remembered Eve's fate.

Tooth shook her head. Eve never knew that the man she was working with- the man that wanted her dead- was her own brother.

In fact, Tooth was glad she didn't know. It would have been too painful for her to see that her own brother had become a monster.

* * *

**Decided to put up this short chappy! I felt like this was all better by itself put into one angsty/depressing chapter. Best to get all the feelings and explanations out and said within one chapter, rather than meshed in with the rest of the story.**

**Sorry for the short chapter! But this story is near its end! Probably one or two chapters left, although I'm gonna try and put it all into one long, satisfying chapter for you all.**

**I knew that a lot of you guys wouldn't be too fond of the Pitch/brother idea. But hopefully this chapter cleared some things up and changed your mind about it! I'm sorry for disappointing, I felt really bad about upsetting some of ya'll :c I wanna make this a great story for you all to read because I am so grateful to have such amazing reviewers and followers and readers! **

**I love you all so much, and massive thanks to all the attention that this story is getting! I never thought I'd get this far with this story, so thanks!**

**Next chapter will be up, soon n_n I've been feeling writing-inspired, so it shouldn't be long until you get the final chappy! **

**NINE REVIEWS AWAY FROM 100 AND THE DRAWINGS (Which I've already started making ;D there's THREE)! Let's make this happen!**

**Goodbye, dearies!~**

**PS: Sorry for grammatical errors! I'm still currently using wordpad :( I haven't found a nonsketchy download of word yet, so yeahh im stuck with this.**

**PPS: IM SO SORRY FOR THE SPAZZY EMAILS WITH THE LAST CHAPTER. I know plenty of you didn't get the emails at first (along with me) and it took a day for it to send! DUMB WEBSITE UGH. But the views on the last chapter are pretty similar in numbers to the chapter before that, so I'm guessing you've all seen it, now n_n again, sorry!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Are you guys ready? :) Here we go. Please read my after commentary for a very important message! Thank you!**

**ALSO, if you guys could listen to Sufjan Steven's "Sister Winter" while reading this or after or whatever, that'd be cool n_n I feel like it goes well with the story. I dunno. Tell me if you do, and what you think!**

**Continueee~**

* * *

When Eve woke up, she was in a grassy field, a clear blue sky hanging above her head. The air was crisp and clear and held the sweet, engulfing scent of honeysuckle. Sitting up slowly, Eve looked around her. Trees were scattered about, dotting the landscape with their tall, mighty statures, securing Eve in a forest haven. Where was she? What happened?

The last thing she remembered… was a boy… a dying boy with hair as white as snow.

A sharp pain struck Eve's head and she clutched at her cranium, shutting her eyes tight. The memory was quickly discarded- stolen by the sudden pain. Then the discomfort left and Eve took in a deep breath, letting go of her skull and grasping the dewy, fresh grass beneath her to steady herself, the fresh blades of grass poking out from between her clammy fingers. It was then that Eve noticed the hundreds of birds chirping as they called to one another, filling the landscape with their harmonious song. Suddenly, the rush of water filled Eve's hearing and she looked to her right to see a river, not too far off.

Had that been there, before…?

Deciding to not think too much about it, Eve got up to walk to the running water, realizing how parched she was as she kneeled down by the river's bank. The water was the clearest she could even possibly imagine, the shiny rocks and pebbles at the bottom gazing up at her through the transparent waters. She could see straight to the bottom, and the fresh, cold water beckoned to her- tempting her with its rushing sound.

Cupping her hands in front of her, Eve dunked them under the water, filling them up and drinking handful after handful, until she was impossibly drunk off of water, the front of her dress damp with the liquid that dripped from her hands as she drank. Her drink was refreshing and cold, and provided Eve with enough strength to wander around the area she was in as she tried to find out where she was.

As she approached the thicker part of the forest, the trees around her suddenly bared every kind of fruit imaginable and Eve was completely positive that they hadn't been like that, before. But, her curiosity overtaking her, Eve walked up to one of the fruit-holding trees, and picked a red apple from it, holding it within her pale hands. The apple was large, shiny, and the deepest shade of red her eyes had ever laid upon. It entranced her, beckoning her to take a satisfying bite. Her mouth suddenly watered, and the girl brought the apple to her lips.

"Eve."

Startled, Eve turned around to face the voice she had heard- dropping her apple in the process as it fell to her feet with a thud. A woman was standing right before her, a faint smile on her lips as she gazed at Eve with a sort of longing. The lady was clad in an old brown dress, patched with various cloths. Her hair was long and black as night, and it reached to her waist in a long silky braid. And her eyes… her eyes were the brightest of blue… a blue that shocked Eve with a flood of warmth. Laughter wrinkles cradled those blue orbs, and it brought Eve a sense of home.

Suddenly, a memory came back to the teen. The feeling of being held in warm, protective arms overcame her. The rich, melodic laugh of the happiest woman on Earth filled her hearing. The smell of vegetable stew filled her nose, accompanied by the scent of burning firewood and fresh pine. Lastly, the image of bright cerulean eyes gazing upon her with the deepest of love filled her sight, making her heart stop in its tracks and her memories finally cease.

She remembered.

Feeling her breath hitch in her throat and her chest tighten with longing, Eve swallowed back her tears as she gazed at the woman, the salty water blurring her vision nonetheless.

"Mum?" She breathed out, her voice cracking before she could even finish the word.

The simple, short word that held more meaning than she could ever possibly explain.

Eve watched the woman's smile grow deeper as she gave a ghost of a nod, her eyes shining with longing and happiness- yet sorrow. "Yes darling. It's me," she spoke- her voice smooth and beckoning, making Eve want to rush over to the safe harbor of her mother's arms.

But Eve could not make herself move. No matter how hard she tried to finally go towards her mother, she was glued to her spot, almost as if she were paralyzed with emotion.

She didn't have to move, though, because her mother was already making her way over.

When she was right in front of Eve, she wrapped her arms around her, drawing her in for a hug. Eve let out her tears, now, her dam breaking and letting loose the flood. The salty tears dripped down her cheeks as she held her mother to her, burying her face in her chest as she sobbed, her cries telling stories of her longing and loss and hardship. The girl clutched her mother to her as she cried, letting out the heavy sobs that she didn't even know she had hidden deep down within her.

"I've missed you so much, Mummy," Eve cried as she held her mother closer. "It's been so hard. So, so, so hard. Where have you been all this time?" Eve asked desperately, pulling away slightly to look up into the woman's blue eyes. Her mother gazed back at her, pain marking her enchanting blue orbs.

"I've been here, love," Eve's mother whispered, running a hand down Eve's short hair. "We both have," she added. Suddenly, Eve felt a large hand on her shoulder and she gasped, turning to find who it belonged to. Her eyes focused on the face of a man with a bushy brown beard and messy hair sitting on his head, dark like that of the bark of a pine tree. Held within his eyes was the deepest shade of brown Eve had ever laid her eyes on, the color richer than chocolate. Eve was flooded with memories, again. This time, they were of laughter and the exhilaration of being thrown in the air and caught by burly, strong arms. They were of the prickliness of a man's beard as a kiss was placed lovingly upon her cheek, and the soft rumble of a deep voice as it told her stories of faraway lands.

"Dad!" Eve exclaimed as she hugged him, suddenly overflowing with so much happiness that she began to cry, again. Her father's strong arms held her close, and Eve felt truly safe for the first time in her whole life.

Her dad laughed and ruffled Eve's wavy hair. "Hello, princess," he greeted her happily. Eve smiled to herself at hearing the nickname, and nuzzled into her father's chest, wanting so bad to just stay like this- with her parents- forever. But then she remembered her situation, and her eyes shot open.

Suddenly, the teen pulled away. "Where are we?" She asked, looking from her father to her mother, her eyebrows furrowed with the confusion of a thousand questions.

Eve's mother knelt down next to her so they were eye to eye, and gave her a smile as she held Eve's hand. "Eve, darling, what's the last thing you remember?" She asked her softly, studying her face carefully.

Eve looked down at the lush grass and thought hard, sorting through memories stored within her mind as she tried to find one that was most recent to her. She remembered, again. The boy. The boy with the white hair. She was holding a boy… he was dead. And Eve was crying. She was crying a lot. It was cold and dark and… Eve was saying how it was her fault.

A headache consumed Eve's senses, again, and she clutched at her head, once more, whimpering as a high pitched ringing absorbed her hearing. "It hurts," she whispered as she sat down, drawing her knees to her chest. "It hurts to remember," she cried as the headache increased. Eve's mother held the teen close, letting her lean into her. Eve closed her eyes, letting her mother and father hold her close as they sat down with her, trying to comfort their daughter. The headache was increasing, now, and it shot pain through her neck and eyes and the back of her head, making her teeth ache as she ground them together, gnashing them in her feeble attempt to stop the pain.

"Calm down, Eve," Eve's mother whispered. "Just relax, you're safe here. Nothing will hurt you," she comforted, rubbing Eve's arm until the headache passed on and Eve took in a gasping breath of relief as she filled her lungs with much needed air.

"Why?" She whispered, still holding her head in fear that the pain would come back. "Why does it hurt to remember?" Eve asked. "What's going on? Where am I?"

Eve's father laid his hand comfortingly on his daughter's shoulder, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Tell us where you think you might be," her father whispered, drinking in his daughter's facial features attentively as she thought to herself.

Swallowing back the lump that had formed in her throat, Eve took a shaky breath. She could only think of one reason why she'd be with her parents- who she knew were long dead. "Did I… die? Am I dead?" Eve asked in a hushed tone, looking up into her father's eyes, and then her mother's.

Her mother smiled softly, her features sad. "Yes darling. I'm afraid you have," she told her.

Eve blinked, and then nodded slowly. "Yes… yes, I thought so," she whispered, weakly, feeling her heart stutter in her chest. This wasn't what she imagined being dead would be like. She thought that there would be no pain afterwards- no more heartbeats or dizziness or tears. Licking her dry lips, Eve looked at her parents once again. "Do you know how I died?" She asked, curious. The last thing she clearly remembered was dressing Matthew for the wedding.

I hope Matthew is alright, Eve thought to herself, feeling panic catch in her chest. But she brushed aside the thought into the pile of things she wanted to ask. Now was not the time to panic.

Eve's mother bit her lip, and it seemed as if she wanted to cry, but was unable to. "Yes, love. We know how," she answered her daughter.

Taking a deep shaky breath, Eve tried- and failed- to stop her voice from breaking as she asked, "Could you tell me?"

Eve's dad shook his head solemnly. "We cannot tell you how you died. You must remember on your own. Only then may we answer your questions," her father explained.

Eve's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to argue.

"Let us start with what you last remember," Eve's mother suggested, smoothing down Eve's hair in the way that she knew calmed her. Eve looked down at the grass, again, leaning into her mother's touch.

"The last thing I remember is getting Matthew dressed… for the-"Eve stopped herself, feeling tears burn her eyes. "Oh, mum, I'm so sorry!" Eve cried, burying her face into her hands as she swallowed back sobs. "I was going to marry William!" Eve admitted, feeling ashamed. "I was desperate, Matthew was dying and there was nothing I could do!" Eve explained between her sobs.

Her mother ran circles on her back and Eve's breathing hitched. That movement was familiar… cold fingers on her back drawing comforting circles…. "We know, darling," Eve's mother whispered, kissing the top of Eve's head as the random memory quickly faded away. "We know how hard you tried, love. We know."

Feeling weary with grief, Eve leaned into her mother, again, her eyes burning and red-rimmed with tears. "Is he alright?" She asked, looking up into her father's eyes. "Is Matthew alright?" She asked, her voice cracking.

Her father's face held a grim look. "We cannot tell you the answer, princess. You must remember. If you remember, you will find out," he whispered, his eyes watery with tears he couldn't seem to shed.

Eve held back her protests and swallowed back her disappointment as she nodded, looking down at the grass yet again. Tentatively, she spoke up, "How am I supposed to remember?" She asked, drawing her legs to her chest, again as the laid her forehead against her knees and wrapped her arms around them.

"You must relax," Eve's mother whispered, running fingers through Eve's hair. The girl took in a slow, deep breath and let it out just as slowly and evenly. She could do this. It was the only way her questions would be answered. She needed to remember.

So Eve cleared her mind, and searched through the depths of it slowly and cautiously, careful not to overwork herself and receive a headache in return.

_Snow. Cold. Dark._

_ That was what first returned to her memories._

_ Eve was holding the skinny, limp body of a boy. He seemed somewhat older than Eve, herself. Crimson red stained his otherwise wintry features. His face was pale in an unnatural way, although it seemed like his skin usually contained a pale color. But this was not a normal skin color. It was tainted gray in a way that Eve knew could only mean one thing. _

_ The boy was dead._

_ Eve watched herself, seeming to be in an out of body experience as the scene displayed before her continued on._

_ She was crying, screaming, begging to the boy, both of them bathed in the eerie light of the moon. But, naturally, the boy in Eve's arm gave no response to Eve's pleas. Eve tried to listen to the words she was saying, but couldn't quite recall them. But then a name came to her, echoed chillingly through her mind. _

_ "Jack." _

_ Eve's breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened as memories flooded back all too quick for her to comprehend._

_ Pitch. Knife. Staff. Death. Death. Death. Death. Death._

_ Jack._

_ Drawling in a shaky, deep breath, Eve gazed frighteningly at her body clutching onto Jack's dead one. She watched as she gave her life to him. And she watched until everything went black and dark as the night sky._

_ "Eve!" A voice called._

"Eve!" It was now clearer.

"Eve, honey, it's alright! Open your eyes, you're safe!"

Eve gasped, her eyes flying open as she looked at her parents. They gazed at her worryingly, their eyes holding expressions of pure fear and confusion. Eve then realized that she was crying, and she whispered one word.

"Jack."

Her parents let out the breath they had been holding, and Eve's mother hugged her daughter close. "I'm so sorry, darling," she whispered, rubbing Eve's back soothingly. Eve felt empty- like everything she had ever worked for in her life was drained out of her. "Pitch killed Jack," she murmured, swallowing back her tears and sickening fear. "He killed him and I helped," she gasped, feeling her insides twist uncomfortably.

Her mother's hand was on her hair yet again, soothing her as fingers raked through her thick dark hair. "Hush now, darling. You had no control over it. It was not your fault," she whispered, kissing Eve's forehead.

Pushing back the threat of a new wave of tears, Eve took a deep breath and then looked at her parents. "Is he alive? Did I save Jack? Is… is he okay?" She asked, fighting back the pounding of her heart and the way her throat tightened at the question.

Eve's mother smiled, her eyes shining with the gleam of a proud mother. "Yes, my dear. He's alive. You brought him back to life," she whispered.

Eve felt herself smile, and tears made their way down her cheeks despite herself. She had brought him to life! Jack was okay! He was okay… Licking her dry lips, Eve looked down as a thought came to her.

"What is it, princess?" The deep voice of her father asked.

Feeling her cheeks warm, Eve bit her lower lip, chewing it between her teeth nervously as she thought out her question. "Is… is there a way I could see him?" She asked hesitantly, looking back up at her parents. "Is there a way I can see how he's doing?"

To her gratitude, her father nodded. "That is part of what we must explain to you," he whispered, looking at Eve gravely. Eve felt her happiness smother. Something was going on.

"What is it?" The forest spirit asked, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion as she leaned towards her father eagerly.

After looking at his wife then back at his daughter, Eve's father spoke. "There is a choice you must make," he told her.

Eve's eyes widened with her growing curiosity. "What choice?"

Her father placed his hand on Eve's shoulder, and looked her in the eyes. "You remember how you were brought back to life… you remember it all, correct?"

Eve nodded fast, her eyes glued to her dad.

"The… the Man in the Moon has given you another chance. He wants to bring you back to life, again… We were brought to you here to explain to you the choices you have," Eve's father said slowly, watching as his daughter's face paled. "You can choose to accept the Man in the Moon's offering, or you may choose to stay with us," he explained, his eyes filled with something Eve couldn't quite decipher.

Eve's throat was dry and her heart was cold with shock. She was completely speechless. What should she do? What could she even say to that? She wanted to be with her parents! She finally found them, why in the world would she let them go, again?

But then again… what about Jack? What about Bunny and Sandy and Tooth and North? Would she be selfish if she left them behind?

They didn't need her! They were better off without her! She just brought them trouble! If she went back, who's to say the Guardians would be happy?

A soft touch on her back startled the forest spirit from her thoughts. "Darling," her mother began. "We know it's a lot to take in. We understand that," she whispered. "You must take your time to think about it before you answer," she informed her daughter.

"I want to see Jack," Eve croaked, looking up at her parents with a stone-serious expression.

With a nod, her father helped her onto her feet, and Eve walked with her parents through the forest, chewing on her lower lip in her anxiety the whole walk. What if Jack was happy, now? What if the Guardians didn't miss her at all?

Or even worse… what if it was the exact opposite?

Eve wanted to be with her parents more than anything. She was tired of living for so long. She wanted to finally rest and be with her family. That's all she's ever wanted. No more pain or hurt or hardship. Just rest.

A light shone in the forest, and suddenly Eve's parents stopped walking. Eve looked up at them, and they gently ushered her forward, giving her a small smile of encouragement. The raven-haired girl felt her heart pound within her, echoing in her ears as she took in a deep breath, and held it.

"Go on, Eve," her mother encouraged.

So Eve walked on ahead into the light, and suddenly she was at the Pole, inside North's workshop. She quickly recognized that she was standing in the Globe room, and the sight before her made her gasp.

Tooth was curled forward on a chair, crying silently to herself, her shoulders shaking with sobs as Sandy rubbed her back comfortingly, a sorrow look upon his golden features. Bunnymund's forehead was resting against his paw as he sat on one of North's plump couches, gazing tiredly at the snow globe necklace he had given to Eve, toying with it in his free paw. His green eyes were filled with anger and sadness that made Eve's heart wrench. North was standing by the fireplace, gazing into its flames with an expression the forest spirit could not decipher.

But… where was Jack?

Eve forced herself to leave the Globe room as she searched the workshop for her friend. Not only was Jack missing… but so was she. Had they already buried her? She wondered. Or… did they leave her behind in the forest?

Eve felt her throat tightened at that idea, and she quickly dismissed the thought.

She decided to head to the room she had slept in so often. Perhaps they had laid her there? Maybe Jack was there, as well?

The forest spirit couldn't have been more right.

When she arrived at the guest room, Eve was welcomed with the sight of Jack sitting by Eve's bedside, holding her dead body's hand and gazing at her with a frozen expression of pain and sadness. He didn't move… he didn't speak. He just sat there.

"Jack," Eve spoke, walking towards him. "Jack, I'm here," she said louder, reaching out to touch him, only to have her hand slip through his arm. Eve pulled back, her heart beating fast as she forced back her tears.

She was dead… he couldn't hear her. She couldn't touch him.

Swallowing back the lump that had formed in her throat, Eve walked over to her bedside, and gazed down at herself. Her body was still, eyes closed peacefully. Her red cloak stood out unnaturally bright underneath her bruised and ashen body. Her skin was white, accompanied with the gray tinge of death. Even her dark hair lacked its color.

Feeling tears fall down her face, she looked back at Jack.

He had her hand in both of his, and it was lifted up to his face now as he gave it a gentle kiss, leaving it there as he closed his eyes, tears falling down his own cheeks, now.

Oh, Jack.

Eve's lip trembled, and she took a shaky breath as she felt herself yearn to hug her best friend. She knelt beside him, gazing at him pleadingly. "Jack, stop this," she begged, gazing up at him. "I'm gone, Jack. I'm not coming back. It's okay, though! You're alive!" Eve told him, her voice choked with tears. "That's all that matters! That's all that matters!"

But Jack didn't respond. He only opened his blue eyes as he gazed at Eve's lifeless body yet again, as if he were purposefully torturing himself. As if he truly blamed himself for all of this.

Unable to take it anymore, Eve closed her eyes, hands over her ears as she cried. "Mum, Dad, help me!" She cried, sobbing. "Take me back, I can't be here," she whispered.

Suddenly, hands grasped her arms, and Eve was lifted to her feet. Her eyes shot open, and the Eve was back in the forest, her parents by her side. The red-cloaked girl turned to face her parents, and hugged her mother, crying into her chest as she closed her eyes, letting all her sobs out.

Eve's mother rubbed her back, kissing the top of her head. "It's alright, darling. Everything will be alright."

Eve shook her head in protest to her mother's words. "What have I done?" She asked, her voice laced with pain. "Look at what I've done to him, Mummy! He's not even himself, anymore! I didn't mean for this to happen," Eve cried. "I didn't mean for this to happen," she repeated as she continued to cry, her shoulders shaking with tears.

Eve's mother held her for what seemed like forever as Eve cried, comforting her with hushes and a warm hand in her hair. When Eve finally stopped crying, she rubbed an arm across her eyes, wiping away her tears as she fought to keep some sort of composure. "I don't want to think about this, right now," she whispered, looking at her parents pleadingly. "I can't think about this, right now," she clarified.

Eve's mother nodded, and sat them both down, Eve's father joining them as they sat on the pine needles and soft dirt of the forest floor. "Let's talk about something else, love," Eve's mother suggested. "You had questions. It's alright for you to ask them, now," she whispered, holding Eve's hand comfortingly.

Eve nodded, looking at the ground. She knew what she wanted to ask most. Looking up at her parents, she asked her question. "Where is Matthew? He… I had him escape. I don't know if he survived… but it's been hundreds of years. Shouldn't he be…" She didn't want to say dead. It didn't seem right to say… it didn't feel good. "Shouldn't he be here with us?" She asked.

Eve's parents looked at one another, sharing a secret with their gaze. Eve's brows furrowed, and she fought back the urge to force them to tell her. With a nod from Eve's mother, Eve's father turned to look at his daughter, his chocolate brown eyes soft with the burden of bad news. "He never died, Eve."

Eve's breathing halted, and her eyes widened. "Wha… What do you mean?" She gasped, feeling as if all the air she once had within her body was kicked out of her.

"Darling," her mother spoke. "The Man in the Moon revived him, too."

Blinking, Eve shook her head. No. There was no way. There was no way he has been alive this whole time. Matthew was dead. He had to be! He needs to be here with her parents. He needs to be free from everything he's been through. "No," Eve whispered, panicking. "No, there must be some mistake," she began, looking at her mother with pleading eyes, hoping that this was all some misunderstanding. "There's no way," she spoke. "Wh- Why haven't I seen him? I would have seen him, right? I must have! Who is he, now? What does he look like? Where is he?" Eve blurted out, standing up now along with her parents.

Eve's mother reached out to her daughter, but the forest spirit backed up. "Darling," her mother began warily.

"Answer me," Eve spoke, face hardened.

Her father held a grim look. He answered his daughter. "You are not ready to know," he spoke.

Feeling rage boil within her, Eve spoke up. "If I have the chance to see Matty again and make things right, I am taking it. Tell me where he is, Daddy!" Eve commanded, feeling tears burn in her eyes for the hundredth time since she's woken up. "Please," She added for a good measure.

Sighing, Eve's father ran a giant hand down his face before he looked into Eve's eyes, measuring her to see if she could truly handle such information. "You've already met him," he answered her.

Eve's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Wha-"

"Eve," he interrupted. "It's… Pitch. Pitch Black is your brother."

Eve suddenly felt as if her legs were no longer working. She stumbled backwards, collapsing slightly before her mother caught and steadied her. "No," Eve managed to gasp out, a shaky hand making its way to her forehead where it rested. She was shaking, now, her heart pounding blood rapidly through her body. "No," she repeated, blue eyes staring at the ground, unable to meet her father's eyes. "There- there must be some mistake," she whispered, looking up into her father's eyes, now, searching for some uncertainty in his chocolate orbs. They were confident with the information he had spoken, his eyes unwavering and grave.

"It's true," Eve's mother whispered, her voice shallow with sadness and grief.

Eve's lips trembled and she bit down on them, forcing her legs to stop shaking as she took in her new information. It all made sense, now. Matthew wanted the Guardians dead because they didn't save him or his sister. He was mad at them, because as a child he had believed in them through all the hardship and suffering.

But why would he want Eve dead?

Why would Eve's brother be so cold and bloodthirsty? He had been so strong… so strong and brave. What drove him to this point?

"This is all my fault," Eve croaked, her voice thick and cracking with tears. She sniffed, forcing the salty liquid back. Rubbing her eyes stubbornly, Eve looked at her parents. "I didn't help him. It's my fault he's turned this way," she told them, feeling guilt and sorrow press down on her shoulders with its terrible weight.

"None of this is your fault, love," Eve's mother soothed, rubbing her daughter's shoulders comfortingly. "There was nothing you could do to prevent who he would become. You raised him with the love and compassion that we could not provide," she told her, holding Eve's shoulders as she faced her, making her look into her emerald eyes.

"You provided him with strength and you've healed all the wounds that living without parents has brought upon him," Eve's father spoke, now. "You did more than we could have ever have asked of you, and we are so proud of you, my princess."

Biting her lower lip, Eve stubbornly swallowed back the urge to burst into tears, although she knew it would be inevitable. "But it wasn't enough," she whispered.

"Darling, you must understand that what Matthew chose to do after you passed away was entirely his own decision. He was given enough wisdom and support to know what the right thing to do with his powers was. Eve, he didn't lose his memory like you did. He remembered his past life, and he chose to be what he is now," Eve's mother spoke, tears glistening in her eyes, but not falling.

"There must be something I can do," Eve cried, now, looking into her mother's eyes pleadingly. "There must be a way," the forest spirit whispered.

Eve's father shook his head. "You've done all you could," he told his daughter. "Now it is all up to Matthew."

Feeling her heart weigh down in her chest, Eve nodded. "Alright… alright, I understand," she said, although she honestly did not. It was her fault that Matthew turned this way. The least she could do was try to help!

"At this point, Eve," her mother spoke, noticing Eve's troubled features, "he's much too far gone for any of us to help… it's too late. And you have no idea how much your father and I wish that wasn't so… but Matthew must discover what is truly right on his own. There is no way for anybody to help."

Warm tears trickled down Eve's cheeks, and she rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, frustratingly trying to rid herself of the bothersome liquid that never seemed to cease. Running a hand through her hair, Eve looked at her parents, who both stood before her. Her parents were here… they were with her and she was finally safe.

So why did she feel so sad?

Eve's mother smiled slightly, and spoke. "Let us change the topic of conversation," she suggested. "Why don't you tell us about this Jack fellow?"

Looking down at the grass, Eve felt herself smile slightly as another tear made its journey down her face, collecting at her chin where it fell to the lush blades of green. "You must already know," Eve whispered, looking back up at her parents. "You have been watching over me, am I correct?"

Laughing lightly, her mother took her hand, squeezing it lightly. "Why don't you tell us more, then? We'd like to hear the story from you, darling," she whispered.

Eve felt her cheeks warm, and she looked back down at the ground. "Well… Jack is my best friend. And the Guardians… they treated me like family. They took me in and… well I guess they did keep many secrets from me, but now that I look back at it… I believe it was out of love, right? To protect me?" She asked, looking into her parent's eyes. "They… they never meant to harm me."

Nodding, Eve's mother smiled. "They love you very much, Eve. The Guardians were never angry at you. Even when Matthew had you turn on them. They were confused, yes, but they never blamed you for anything."

Eve didn't realize she had begun crying again until her vision had completely gone blurry with hot tears. Wiping them away, Eve cleared her throat. "I- I don't want to talk about that," she whispered.

Eve's mother smiled. "We understand, love. Tell us about the happy things… let's forget everything else," she offered. Her parents wanted her to relax before she made her decision, Eve realized. Perhaps that was a good idea….

Licking her dry lips, Eve sorted through her memories, looking for some of the best ones, and smiling to herself when she realized that most of the nicest ones were with Jack. "Uhm, well I learned how to ice skate… Jack taught me," she told her parents as they all sat down. "I- ah- Bunny took me to this beautiful spring warren to teach me how to paint Easter eggs," Eve said with a big smile, looking at her father. "He's brilliant, Dad! His Easter eggs, they were just like the ones we'd make together! And Mum, his flowers were lovely! I wish you could have seen them…" Eve whispered, running fingers through the lush grass. "North… he taught me how to make eggnog and we made Christmas cookies one morning for breakfast," Eve recalled with a giggle. "It seems like that's the only thing they eat at the Pole, sometimes.

"And Jack, he took me snowball fighting and he got some of the children he is friends with to see me," Eve spoke, looking at her parents, who smiled happily at their daughter's story. "I… I miss him so much," Eve spoke softly, feeling tears collect in her eyes before she blinked them away.

"It appears he misses you too, love," Eve's father pointed out. Eve looked up, cerulean eyes meeting chocolate brown ones.

Feeling her gut twist with guilt, Eve spoke. "I don't think it's appropriate for me to go back… I've only brought trouble, and they're all better off without me… it's for the best," Eve spoke, letting out her true thoughts, the deep ones that made her feel like pure rot. "If I were to go back… I'm not very sure they'd be too thrilled about it," the forest spirit remarked.

"Now, darling, you must know that's not true," Eve's father reassured. "The Guardians… you're a part of their family, now. You must put aside all the thoughts Matthew had planted into your head."

"Your father is right, Eve," her mother agreed. "That boy… Jack… you saw him, love. You know how much he misses you."

"But don't you want me here?" Eve asked, feeling a little heartbroken. "I-I thought this was what you wanted? For us to be together again- like a family?"

Eve's mother's eyes softened as she gazed at her child. "You know that's what I want more than anything, Eve. But this is not about what your father and I want. It's about what you want," Eve's mother told her, her voice filled with pain. "Eve, you never truly lived your life. Yes, you've had a long one, but tell me darling, was it a happy one? Have you honestly done all the things you've wanted to?"

Eve felt her heart drop. She had never thought about that. She never really had any good moments in her life after her parent's death. It was true.

Well, that was until she met the Guardians.

In Eve's first life, her parents had left her so early and she was forced to take on adulthood at the age of eight. She raised her younger brother like her own child. She worked for a man who abused her and harassed her and raped her and eventually… killed her.

In Eve's second life, she was alone. That is, until recently. And she realized there was so much more she hadn't done.

She wanted to learn more about the Guardians. She wanted to make them her friends and eventually let them become her own little family. She wanted to know everything about the Guardians. She wanted to go flying with Sandy as he let her watch him bring beautiful dreams to children on a dark, moonlit night. She wanted to brush her fingers against the soft, golden sand that littered the sky as she spent time with the Golden Man, and perhaps learn his symbols so she could talk to him better. She wanted to patch up her rough times with Tooth and be close to her. She wanted Tooth to be like an older sister to her, eventually (something that Eve has always wanted in her life, since she was always the oldest sibling of her small family). She wanted to learn all of North's secret ingredients to his amazing baked goods, and she wanted to see every toy he's ever made- she wanted to know which one was his favorite. Eve wanted to explore Bunny's warren and lie in the sun by him, the dewy grass keeping them both cool as they painted beautiful eggs, talking to each other about whatever comes to mind, from topics like where the best carrots are grown to Bunny's stories from his past.

Most of all… she wanted to learn more about Jack. His quirks, his favorite food, what makes him happy the most, where he goes when he's not with her, his habits and what they mean, and she wanted to become his best friend. All romance aside, Eve truly wanted nothing more than to be as close to the winter spirit as she could be. She wanted to know exactly what he was thinking, just from looking at the expression on his face. She wanted to know how to cheer him up when he's down.

She wants to be with him.

She wants to be with all of them.

But she never got to live her life with her family, either. She never got to grow up with her parents and watch as they grew old and take care of them as they had once taken care of her. She wanted to tell them about all of her short-lived adventures with the Guardians. She wanted to tell her father about how much she's learned and she wanted to tell her mother about Jack. She needed her family. Her true, proper, real family. They come first. They should always come first, no matter what.

The raven-haired girl stood up, along with her parents. She smiled, tears gathering in her eyes as she gazed at her mother and father. Hugging them close, Eve laughed, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. "I've made my choice," she whispered, looking up at her parents from their embrace, smiling brightly at them.

Family comes first, family comes first, family comes first.

Eve knew what her decision was, now.

And she knew that there would be no turning back.

* * *

Jack stood up onto shaky legs from his spot at Eve's bedside. He was tired. He was so, so tired and worn. Deep down in his heart, he knew Bunny was lying when he said that there could be a way to save Eve. He knew it was just words spoken to get Jack to the Pole.

He never felt so sick in his life.

Looking down at Eve's motionless body, Jack suddenly closed his eyes, and pressed fingers into them, forcing back the tears that he felt prickling in his nose, making their way up, waiting to be shed. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Jack removed his hand and swallowed back the lump in his throat.

He needed some air. He needed to cool down.

So at that, Jack walked to the giant window in Eve's room, opening it to walk out onto the balcony. He could see the moon, hanging up in the sky, looking so close to Earth that it made Jack want to freeze it over and destroy it.

The Man in the Moon just watched. He just hovered close by, watching as Eve died as if it were some entertaining TV show for him.

"Why?" Jack croaked, glaring at the pale, white orb. "Why did you take her from me?" He asked, feeling his throat tighten with sobs that he couldn't seem to make himself release.

When the moon didn't reply, Jack scowled and looked out into the landscape, trying to clear his mind.

But it wouldn't stop. Those same, blasted words kept repeating in his head, never ceasing, refusing to let the winter spirit have one moment of peace.

Eve's dead, Eve's dead, Eve's dead, Eve's dead, Eve's dead, Eve's dead, Eve's dead.

Just relax, Jack told himself, trying to defy the voices in his head.

But there was no way Jack could ever be the same. Not without Eve… never.

Inspecting the staff in his hand, Jack drew his lips into a tight line, feeling the blood drain from them as he pressed them hard together, ignoring the pain. It was the only way to stop the tears. His staff glowed with Eve's beautiful green light. The green aurora was all he had left of her… the constant reminder of what she had done for him… of what he had unintentionally driven her to do.

Closing his eyes, Jack stopped those thoughts from continuing. No. Don't think like that. Don't… don't….

Licking his lips, Jack sighed, then took a deep breath in, holding it for a bit. As he let out the breath, the air turning white from the frigid cold, the winter spirit reached into his pocket, grabbing Eve's amulet. He turned it over in his hand, inspecting every detail of it. The stone was caged in protective silver, and hung on a silky smooth chain. The stone, which was once green, was now a cold gray that spookily reflected the moon's white light. It was as lifeless as its deceased master.

Just as Jack was about to put it back in his pocket, it began to glow. The Guardian of Fun almost dropped the pendant as he gasped, his eyes going wide. The stone shined brightly in the moon's powerful light, until it slowly faded away, revealing a strange new color to the stone.

It was no longer a cold gray or a solid, spring green.

The stone was a mix of ice blue and grass green, dancing together on the surface of the stone in a beautiful, wavy pattern. Jack's eyes went wide.

It was just like Jack's staff.

Feeling his throat go dry, Jack ran into Eve's room, feeling his heart flutter with hope that quickly died when he saw that Eve was still lying in her bed. He placed a hand over her heart, but found it to be just as still as when he had left.

His hopes crushed, Jack let the tears well up in his eyes, and didn't bother stopping them as they ran down his cheeks. Eve was still dead… her amulet meant nothing. The Man in the Moon must have enchanted it for him… as a token… as a memory of the bond that Jack and Eve had shared.

"Jack!" A Russian accent called from down the hallway as it rushed to him. "Jack, come immediately! To Globe room, now!" The voice ordered as North suddenly appeared at his doorway, looking at Jack with bewildered eyes. "We must go to Globe room, no time to lose!" He spoke in a rushed fashion as he left just as quick as he had came, running back to where he was merely minutes ago.

Brows furrowed with confusion, Jack looked at Eve pleadingly, as if hoping she'd suddenly wake. When she didn't Jack let out a deep breath to stop the tears and covered her with a blanket, placing a hand on her cheek. Gazing at her peaceful features, Jack let go and made his way to the Globe room to find out what all the commotion was about.

* * *

When Jack made it to the Globe room, he was greeted with a bright light that shone from the floor theatrically, surrounded by all the eager Guardians. Jack made his way over to them, standing in between Bunny and Sandy, across from North. "What is this?" He asked, filled with confusion and a bit of bitter irritation. They had called him away from Eve to look at some dumb light?

That was when Jack noticed it… the moon was shining from the ceiling, peeking in and providing its own light to the one that the Guardians were so fixated on, seeming to look down at the Guardians, watching them.

"Man in Moon is choosing new Guardian," North explained, almost breathlessly, blue eyes gazing at the light in awe. "We don't know why… or who it may be."

Jack blinked, feeling more confused than ever. Why would they need a new Guardian, especially at a time like this? Was this the Man in the Moon's idea of apology? Feeling enraged, Jack looked up at the old Guardian as it glowed brighter than he had ever seen it, seeming full of selfish power.

But he couldn't help his curiosity as he watched the performance before him, along with the other Guardians. He held his breath as a figure began to form, starting from the toes up until the blue form revealed itself to be-

No.

No, no way. This was some sick joke.

Eve's figure was standing in the light. She was flanked by a ghostly looking deer, her hand on its back and the hood of her cloak drawn up.

Everyone was silent. Nobody knew what to say.

"What kind of awful prank is this?" Jack croaked, looking at all the Guardians. "Did you all set this up?" He accused, backing away from them. "Is this supposed to make me feel better?" He asked, placing a hand on his chest as he glared at his fellow Guardians.

"Jack, we didn't do this," Tooth whispered, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Then what does it mean?" Jack asked desperately, all anger gone and sadness overtaking him. He was tired. He was tired of being angry and pushing his friends away- tired of all the overwhelming emotions that seemed to take control of his body. He was sick and tired of feeling helpless and weak. He just wanted Eve back. He just wanted things to be normal….

"I believe Man in Moon thought Eve earned title of Guardian," North stated, sounding shocked. His friendly blue eyes were filled with confusion and grief that seemed alien on the jolly man. Jack had to constantly remind himself that Eve's death wasn't just affecting him. He had to remember that all the Guardians were close to her.

Feeling his heart drop, Jack looked back at the light form of Eve. She was still dead. She was still dead so what did some stupid title matter? Why would the Man in the Moon torture him like this?

Aster put a paw on Jack's shoulder, and the teen fought the urge not to cringe at the soft touch. He looked up into the pooka's green eyes, and strangely found himself relaxing, looking back at the other Guardians as he nodded. "Alright… yes, I believe you… I-I'm going to go back, now… I'll be back here soon. There's just… one more thing I need to take care of," he whispered as he fingered his pocket, fingers resting against the form of the amulet.

The Guardians nodded and just as the winter spirit was about to turn around a voice called out to him.

"Jack?"

Jack's eyes widened and he felt as if somebody had kicked him in the gut. Unable to believe his ears, Jack turned around to face the source of the voice.

And his heart nearly stopped.

Eve was at the entrance of the Globe room, staring at Jack as she stood there, very much alive.

The white-haired teen blinked, unable to believe his eyes.

Feeling his heart launch itself into his throat, Jack tried to speak, tried to say all the words that were jumbled up in his mind, but he found that he could not. Only one word made its way out of his lips.

"Eve," he gasped, feeling as if his heart, brain, and lungs were all shutting down. He struggled to calm his heartbeat, to stop it from pounding in his ears and stop it from making him sick. He struggled to compose a coherent thought as Eve stood there before him, merely a couple of yards away, so close, yet seeming to shrink and become more distant as his brain panicked and worked overtime, trying to figure out what on Earth was going on.

And he struggled to breathe, trying to move himself towards his friend, but finding himself unable to, too afraid that this was all his imagination- just some terrible, terrible dream.

Eve's face broke out into a smile, and her cheeks shined with fresh tears as her pearly whites flashed happily at her friend, dimples framing that beautiful smile.

Without another word, Eve ran to Jack, and threw her arms around his waist as she tackle-hugged him, almost throwing the unstable winter spirit to the ground. Her arms wound themselves painfully around his waist, the constricting, painful grip suddenly making him realize that this was real.

Eve Dawn was alive, and in his arms.

Tears now streaming out of his wide eyes, Jack dropped his staff, and hugged Eve back, forcing back heavy sobs as he allowed tears to dribble down his cheeks, his arms tight around his friend. Jack buried his face into Eve's neck as she buried her own into his chest as they held each other, both trying to find words to say, unable to believe what was happening. Jack breathed in Eve's familiar scent, finding himself laughing with relief and shock and happiness. "You're alive," he whispered, his voice shaky with tears. "Oh my god, Eve, you're alive," he repeated, pulling her tight against him, afraid that she'd disappear from his arms.

Eve laughed back nodding fast as she pulled away her face from his chest slightly to look into his eyes, blue meeting blue. A giant smile was plastered to her lips as her beautiful eyes filled with never ending tears that raced down her face, collecting at her chin. Her lower lip quivered, and she pressed her lips together, gazing at Jack's face with so much happiness that it seemed to make her glow. She placed her warm hand- her alive and amazingly warm hand- on Jack's cheek as she gazed at him, drinking in his facial features as if she would once again die if she didn't. "Yes," she whispered, laughing shakily again as she blinked away tears, allowing them to fall as some clung to her long, dark eyelashes. She ran a hand through Jack's snow soft hair, pushing it back from his forehead. "Yes, I'm alive," she spoke, her soft and gentle voice shaky as she hugged Jack again, burying her face into the soft material of his hoodie. "I'm here, I'm here."

Smiling into Eve's neck, Jack put a hand on the back of her head, his fingers tangled in her hair. He never wanted to let go. He wanted to hold onto Eve forever and never let her out of his sight again.

She was alive, oh god she was alive! She was okay and breathing and smiling and talking and touching him and she was warm with life. "I thought I'd lost you forever," Jack whispered so only she (and maybe Bunnymund with his expert hearing) could hear.

Eve shook her head, tightening her grip on the winter spirit. Laughing again, she spoke. "You're gonna have to try harder than that to get rid of me."

Breaking into another smile, Jack laughed as well, pulling away from Eve slightly, holding her shoulders as he gazed at her. Eve was alive. The color had returned to her skin and her eyes were open and bright. Everything was right, again. Everything was okay.

Tooth suddenly zoomed in, hugging Eve tightly and the forest spirit laughed, hugging back the fairy as her eyes watered again. "Hello again, Tooth," she whispered, smiling as she tightened her arms around the feathered woman's body.

"I'm so sorry, Eve," Tooth gasped, trying to hold back sobs.

Eve hushed the Guardian of Memories as she cried. "It's alright, Tooth. It's okay. Everything is okay," she comforted the older Guardian, pulling back to look into her eyes.

And then the other Guardians made their way over, each hugging the forest spirit who embraced them all, letting out tears of happiness. Even Bunny shed a few tears, relief evident in his features. When he reached the forest spirit, he slipped the snow globe chain onto her neck, ruffling her hair. "Good ta have ya back, Red," he whispered, eyes shining with tears as he smiled. "I knew ya'd fight yer way back to us," he spoke, looking at Eve admiringly. "A fighter, y'are."

Eve laughed and hugged the pooka for the third time, grabbing fistfuls of fur as she smiled into his chest. "I missed you, Bunny," she whispered, earning a hug back from the Guardian of Wonder.

And there in the Globe room, with her new, loving family, Eve finally felt at home. She knew things would really be okay, and she knew that she no longer had anything to be afraid of.

Eve Dawn had found a home.

She had found Guidance.

* * *

Eve walked out onto the balcony of the guest room, deciding to take a break from the celebration party the Guardians had thrown for her after things had settled down and short explanations had been given. She needed some fresh air… some space to think.

Fighting back the familiar burning sensation in her eyes, Eve reminisced on her last moments with her parents…

_"In order to return back to Earth," Eve's mother began as she picked up the red apple that Eve had discarded, earlier, "you must take a bite from this apple. One bite of food while you're here will bring you home," her mother explained, looking from the apple into Eve's eyes. Sapphire eyes met cerulean ones. _

_ "Are you positive you want to do this, love?" Eve's father asked when he noticed his daughter's hesitation. "This will be your final decision… there will be no turning back."_

_ Eve nodded, pursing her lips as she gazed at the plump, shiny red apple held within her mother's pale grasp. "Yes. Yes, I'm sure. There is still so much I need to do," Eve spoke as she turned to face her father. "I need to apologize to the Guardians. I want to make things up to them and to Jack… and… I want to save Matthew… or at least try my hardest to. He at least deserves an explanation… he deserves the truth, right?" Eve asked, feeling lost and confused with the burden of responsibility on her shoulders. She needed someone to agree with her or to tell her what the right thing to do was. She needed some form of consent and blessing. It was the only way she could manage enough courage to pull through with her decision._

_ Eve's father nodded, smiling gently. "I know you'll finally live your happy life, my princess. Please, make it a good one?" He asked as he pulled his daughter near, placing a kiss on her forehead, prickly beard scratching at her skin as the musky scent of pine filled her nose. _

_ Eve smiled back, locking away the tears deep within her as she nodded. "I will, Dad. I promise." _

_ Her father pulled away, and ruffled Eve's raven hair, smiling admiringly now. "That Jack must be somebody special," he whispered, making Eve blush. "Tell him that I say he'd better take care of you," her father warned protectively, making Eve bite her lip to hold in a laugh. "Or I shall come down to Earth myself and teach him a thing or two…" he mumbled jokingly._

_ Eve's mother rolled her eyes. "Honey, don't start on that rubbish," she chided, smiling lightly. _

_ When Eve laughed, her father raised his chin as he stuck to his statement. "Either way, tell him that your mother and I are putting you in his care, as well as the Guardian's," her father said now, speaking softly as he looked into his daughter's eyes with the endearment of a loving father. _

_ Smiling at her father's words, Eve nodded, happy at the consent of her father. It made her happy to know he approved of the Guardians, and of Jack. "I shall," she spoke, not even bothering to hide her blush at the thought of being with Jack. _

_ Eve's mother hugged her close, now, holding Eve in an embrace that made her feel safe and protected. "We love you so much, Eve," she spoke as she pulled away, placing a hand on her daughter's cheek as she smiled. "And this is not goodbye. We will see you again, darling," she reassured, making Eve's heart warm at the thought that she would still see her parents once again. _

_ Tears brushed away by the back of Eve's hand, the forest spirit nodded. "I love you, Mummy," she whispered as she took the apple that her mother handed her. Looking from her mother, to her father, Eve smiled again. "I shall see you again, soon," she agreed, making her parents smile as her father wound an arm around her mother's waist. They both stood before their daughter, staying with her in her final moments before returning home._

_ Taking a deep breath, and letting it out slowly, Eve lifted up the apple to her lips, gazing at the deep red color that beckoned her to it once again. The apple felt stone cold and heavy in her shaky hands, and Eve closed her eyes as she mustered up her faltering confidence. _I need to do this, _Eve thought as the cold, smooth skin of the apple brushed her awaiting lips._

_ She finally took a bite, and everything faded away._

Feeling tears wet her cheeks, Eve wiped them away as she gazed out at the empty landscape of the Pole, the chill biting at her nose and reddening her cheeks.

She had come back to Earth for a reason… she remembered what she had told her parents.

There was still one thing she had to do.

Tightening her red cloak around her, Eve looked about the Pole, searching the dark.

"Matthew," she called, eyes scanning the area. "Matthew… if you can hear me, please come here. We… we need to talk."

But the night was silent; Eve's only company was the moon that hung in the sky before her. The forest spirit closed her eyes, and let out a sigh, feeling ridiculous for talking to emptiness.

"What on Earth do you want?" A voice asked her, coming from her right.

Eyes flying open, Eve turned to face Pitch, unable to help but fall into a defensive stance. Relaxing her body posture, Eve looked into her brother's eyes. "I- I need to talk to you," she spoke, her voice faltering as Matthew glared down at her. She tried to find some resemblance to this creature and her innocent, strong little brother and came out empty-handed. There was none.

Rolling his eyes, Pitch looked at Eve with a bored look. "Fine, amuse me. What is it you want to say?" He asked, yellow-gray eyes judging and cold.

Swallowing back her fear, Eve regained her confidence. "I want to know what happened," Eve spoke, making Matthew's eyes narrow. "Why did you… end your life? Matthew, why didn't you get help? I-I told you to get help and have William brought to justice, but you didn't bother," Eve spoke, realizing that she was accusing him and stopping herself, changing the tone of her voice. "What made you give up?" She asked softly, looking into her brother's eyes.

Pitch just snorted and looked down at Eve bitterly. "I believe that _I _should be asking what made _you _give up," he spat, making Eve's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asked, feeling defensive. "All I ever did was to protect you!" She exclaimed, hands balled into fists at her sides. "Everything I did was to take care of you!"

Teeth bared, Pitch glared menacingly at his older sister. "You didn't protect me," he hissed.

Feeling like she got punched in the gut, Eve's mouth dropped open. "How… how could you say that?" She whispered, hurt at his words. "I worked for nothing but the best for you!" Eve exclaimed.

"Then why did you let that bastard kill you?" Pitch retaliated, making Eve's eyes widen at the sincerity in his voice. "_Why _did you always tell me to 'be strong' and then give up and leave me alone?" He yelled. Eve cringed slightly at his words, but said nothing. She let him continue. "I was there when he killed you, Eve! I watched as you stood there on that blasted cliff! I had to hold in my screams as you let him pull the trigger! I _saw _the accepted defeat in your eyes! You didn't care about what would become of me if you were to leave! _You didn't even consider it!"_

"I was buying you time to run away and save yourself!" Eve defended, feeling the desperate need to explain herself.

"You should have tried to run!" Pitch yelled. "You never cared for what might happen to you! You always put my well being first, and that's what got you _killed, _you dumb fool! Your decision to die was what put me in hiding for two years as I sought escape from William! He searched for me constantly! I had to bribe villagers not to reveal my location! I had to sleep in pigsties and eat from people's garbage! And I waited for you at Burgess! I waited for months, hoping you'd somehow survived the shot and make your way back to me! But _you left me, Eve!" _Pitch ranted, not giving Eve any time to retaliate. Eve looked into his eyes, and felt her heart stop when she found that they resembled her brother's- wide and innocent and scared… and full of need for protection and guidance of his older sister. Before Eve could manage to gather herself, Pitch straightened up registering Eve's stunned silence as he lifted his head indignantly, seeming like he was trying to regain his power and composure. "I will never forgive you for what you've done, Eve Dawn," Matthew hissed, placing his familiar glare onto his features, once again. "Never," he whispered, eyes filled with a flash of pain.

And at that, Eve's little brother disappeared, leaving Eve alone on the balcony, her only company being the gentle, icy breezes and the soft light of the moon, highlighting details around her with its white, angelic light.

Licking her dry lips, Eve sat on the ledge of the balcony, drawing her legs up to her chest as she propped her chin on her knee, reflecting on her brief conversation with Matthew.

It was all her fault… Pitch was right.

But Eve would make things right. She would mend their broken relationship one way or another… no matter what.

"Eve?" A voice called, startling the forest spirit from her thoughts. Eve turned her head to face Jack. The Guardian of Fun was standing at the entrance to the balcony, a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright?" He asked as he made his way over, taking a seat in front of Eve as he sat cross-legged on the ledge.

Eve smiled reassuringly, nodding slightly. "Yeah… I just needed some air…" she explained, feeling her sadness wither away at the presence of the winter spirit.

Inspecting Eve closely, Jack leaned forward, holding Eve's cheek with a cold hand as he lifted her face slightly. His eyes filled with confusion, Jack whispered, "Tell me what's wrong."

Jack's fingers were ice cold, but they brought a pool of warmth to Eve's stomach. Eve closed her eyes, and placed a hand over the one Jack laid on her cheek. "I miss this," she whispered, opening her eyes to gaze at Jack, smiling slightly. The winter spirit gave her a sad smile, and hugged her, his cold strong arms bringing with it the feeling of protection and love.

"You know that you can tell me whatever you're thinking," Jack whispered as he pulled away slightly to gaze at the forest spirit, his hands on her shoulders. "You don't have to hide anything."

Eve nodded. "Yes, I know. I will. I just… I need more time," Eve responded, looking into Jack's eyes pleadingly, hoping he'd understand. Relief poured through her when Jack nodded, smiling reassuringly. It was silent for a while, and Jack held Eve's hands in his, gazing down at them as he played with her fingers.

"I-uhm," Jack began, smiling slightly. "I have something for you," he told her as he reached a hand into his hoodie pocket, pulling out something that shone in the light of the moon.

Eve gasped. It was her pendant.

"My necklace," she whispered, inspecting the stone that laid within silver bars. She noticed right away what was different about the jewel.

It was not just green, but also contained an ice blue. Smiling, Eve reached out a hand to touch the pendant. It glowed at her touch, and she looked at Jack. "It's you," she whispered. "It has some of you within it."

Smiling back at her, the winter spirit nodded as he fastened it around her neck. Eve felt the jewel land familiarly at the hollow of her neck. She finally felt complete… she felt whole. Suddenly, Jack lifted up his staff and Eve's eyes widened when she noticed the green and blue light that danced within the wood. "We're a part of each other now, I guess," Jack whispered with a smirk. His smile faltered though. "When you gave your life to me, you gave me a part of you."

After minutes of silence, both of the teens just staring at the staff, Eve spoke up. "I'm so sorry, Jack."

He smiled slightly and rested the staff upright against the balcony, holding Eve's hands in his own once again as he played with her fingers. Eve relished in the familiar feel of his fingers, focusing on their touch. "It's alright," he whispered.

Eve shook her head. "No. It's not. I'm so sorry," she apologized again.

Jack stopped playing with her hands and looked up at her, pepper and salt eyebrows furrowed. "What for?" He asked, his voice filled with curiosity.

Eve swallowed back the lump in her throat as she gazed at their hands, unable to look into his eyes. "For everything," she whispered. "For betraying you all… for leaving and for trying to kill you. For… for putting you through all that grief… it was selfish, I know," Eve added when she saw that Jack was about to speak up and object. "I just couldn't see you die," Eve spoke, voice cracking and throat thick with tears. "I couldn't."

Jack cupped Eve's cheek in his hand once again, lifting her head so they were eye to eye. "Don't," he whispered. "Don't blame yourself. This is not your fault. We all had something to do with it," Jack spoke, blue eyes sincere. "This whole thing… it was bigger than you. There was no way it wouldn't have turned out horribly," Jack said with a humorless smirk. "All that matters is that we're okay. Everything is fine now."

The forest spirit nodded, holding back tears. "I know… I know."

Smiling now, Jack hugged Eve again. "I still can't believe you're here…." He whispered, seeming awed. He pulled away and smiled. "I'm so glad you're back, Eve."

Eve smiled back. "I could never have left you, Jack," Eve spoke, and then blushed when she realized what she said. "A-and the Guardians," she stammered while Jack smirked. Ignoring his teasing, Eve spoke, "You all mean too much to me."

Jack smiled warmly and reached out to tuck hair behind Eve's ear. He let his hand drift to the back of her head, and he brought it near as he placed his cold lips on Eve's forehead, giving her a loving kiss. Eve's heart launched into her throat at the feeling of the winter spirit's soft lips on her skin, and she took in a breath of air, trying to tame the heat within her chest.

Jack rested his forehead against hers, and their noses touched as they stayed like that, enjoying the calming silence. Then Jack spoke in a hushed whisper. "That kiss I owed you…" he began. His voice was smooth and low and it made Eve's cheeks go fire engine red. "Do you think the rules would allow me to save it?" He asked with a smile, making Eve want to melt (if that were possible in this cold) in his arms.

Finding her voice, Eve licked her lips and spoke shakily, "Save it?"

Nodding slightly, Jack removed his forehead from hers, kissing her cheek lightly in a way that made Eve's throat tighten and her breath hitch. _Get a hold of yourself, Eve! _The forest spirit thought harshly to herself as she tried desperately to control her beating heart. "For another time…" he spoke as his hands found hers and his thumbs rubbed at her palms. "I want to know everything about you," he said hesitantly, offering her a shy smile. "I… I want to take advantage of the time we could have together… but only if you want to, too," he whispered and then laughed, seeming embarrassed. "I don't really know how to put this into words," the winter spirit admitted.

Eve smiled, feeling her heart swell in her chest. She nodded, and hugged the Guardian of Fun, pulling him close. "Of course I want to," she told him, her voice filled with happiness as cold arms found their way around her, holding her tight. "We have all the time in the world."

Moonlight bathed the two young Guardians in a protective light as they held one another. Yes… they had all the time in the world, indeed.

Eve Dawn had found what she was looking for, and she planned to take advantage of it, this time.

As the chilling breezes ruffled Eve's hair and nipped at her nose, she held onto Jack, feeling warmth from him that was quite illogical. The raven-haired girl found herself smiling at her newfound peace. Finally, Eve would live a life that she had always dreamed of. She would be able to fly with the Sandman. She would be able to paint eggs with the Easter Bunny. She would be able to make toys with Santa Claus. She would be able to spend time with the Tooth Fairy as they grew close, once again.

And she would be able to ice skate with Jack Frost.

It was a perfect ending to her sad story, and a beautiful start to her new one.

She could ask for nothing more.

** The End.**

* * *

**YAYYYYY! IT TOOK ALMOST A MONTH, BUT I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER :D I hope you guys enjoyed it. It was a pain to write, I just felt like there was so much to say and ahhhh but yes. I'm quite happy with it.**

**OHMYGODWAIT IT'S NOT OVER:**

**Due to positive reviews I WILL BE PUTTING UP A SEQUEL TO THIS STORY sometime soon! It will be filled with a series of oneshots on Eve's life with the Guardians n_n Examples will be: Eve and Jack's first date, bits of Eve's past life, some silly/funny incidents, EVE AND JACK'S FIRST KISS *cough *cough*, AND MUCH MUCH MORE! I've already started a chapter, and I will put up an author's note on this story when the new one is put up so you guys can follow it if you want!**

**LINKS TO MY RUBBISH DRAWINGS FOR THIS STORY IS IN MY AUTHOR BIO. **

**Also, a couple of you inboxed me/commented saying you drew art for this story and I'D LOVE to see them! If you could send me a link or even the picture I could put it up and give you credits and stuff! I really wanna see them! n_n**

**Thankyou all for being so patient and supportive of this story! It means a lot to me and I had so much fun writing it. This was my very first fanfiction and I never thought it'd go as far as it did! SO THANKYOU ALL SO MUCH MY BEAUTIFUL REVIEWERS.**

**Until next time**

**Goodbye, dearies!~**


	24. Chapter 24

THE SEQUEL IS UP

check it out on my profile n_n the title for it is "One Step At A Time"

I really hope some of you will read it or give it a chance! i really think it could be great.

ALSO IM GONNA BE RESPONDING TO REVIEWS ON HERE SO IF YOU ASKED SOMETHING OR COMMENTED SOMETHING YOU MIGHT WANNA READ THIS

To AvisDawn:

i would love to see your drawing if you end up making one! n_n

To ROTGluver1512:

I LOVE YOUR IDEA n_n im gonna be putting it in my oneshots so dont think im ignoring you or anything i just already had the ending of my story planned out and couldnt really change it. BUT YOUR IDEA WILL BE WRITTEN SO THANKYOU

I LOVE YOU GUYS AND THANKYOU FOR ALL THE AMAZING REVIEWS. I WILL TRY AND ANSWER THEM IN MY ONESHOTS AND STUFF SO

yES. THANKYOUUUUU


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